Why I Left The XMen
by Cougar9
Summary: Cougar's next story.Here's the story of a young mutant woman who,as a teen,struggled to find the acceptance of Xavier's school;as an adult,fought as an X-Man herself;and now feels the need to throw it away.Of COURSE she's in trouble now...FINISHED
1. Chapter 1

**Why I Left the X-Men**

**By: Cougar9**

**Note to Readers:** OK, so I like the Cougar character. My first fic with her was How I Joined the X-Men and revolved around a young mutant trying to make her way to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. That fic had a lot of the X-Men in it and, since I like Wolverine the best, a lot of Wolverine. The second fic Now that I'm an X-Man centered around Cougar and her new team but of course the X-Men were there and Wolverine. This fic will have the X-Men in it (and of course Wolverine) but it may take some time. If you don't like fics that revolve around OC's then don't read it. If you are already a reader I wrote this for you so you better review. :D I suggest any new reader should read my previous two stories, as this one has references to both and is actually very closely tied to the last one.

Read. Review. Enjoy.

**Quote:** The caribou love it [the Alaskan pipeline]. They rub against it and they have babies. There are more caribou in Alaska than you can shake a stick at. --George H. W. Bush

**Chapter 1**

Through my left eye, the one not swollen shut, I watch the floor slowly pass by. I lift my head enough to confirm that they are, indeed, dragging me back into the cell and not another blood room. That's what I call them. The goons say Lab Room # whatever.

The guard on the left drops my arm to swipe his security card and I crash to the floor, grunting at the old aches and bruises.

"Get up, mutie," the other guard barks, yanking on my right side.

I don't comply. Even if I could move, I wouldn't help that pig.

The first guard pulls a remote control out of a pocket and points it threateningly into the room as the door slides open. "Against the wall, freaks," he orders.

I glance up through my blood matted hair to see movement of obedience, then I'm roughly thrown into the center of the room. A snarl rips from my throat as I hit the cold metal floor and roll, but its wasted effort. They're gone before I can even sit up. Instead of cursing the door—which I've been doing frequently—I turn back to the other bodies in the room, doing a mental head count. Callie, Trinity, Sara. It hurts to use my jaw still, but I ask, "Where's Lexi?"

"They took her," the cheetah-furred Sara answers, "right after they got you."

I growl slightly but push myself up onto my hands and knees. Its the farthest I can get right now.

"You need to stop fighting..." Callie warns me, bringing a wet rag that, long ago, I'd stained red.

"Where's the fun in that?" I grin angrily, then spit a stream of blood.

It started with a phone call...

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting at the bar, I ordered another Pepsi. The bartender reluctantly brought me one. He wasn't being rude because I was a mutant (big surprise in these times) but because I wasn't ordering anything expensive. I paid with a big tip to compensate for my non-alcoholic beverage. I couldn't afford to get drunk because I was waiting for an anti-mutant protest to break out in the very mutant-tolerant bar that I was sitting in. Word on the street was that they were going to rough up the staff and chase out all the mutants. How original.

It was just going to be a few punks from a local gang that wanted to affiliate itself with the FoH. Wanna-be's irritated me.

My phone rang. Since no one actually knew the number, I answered cautiously, "Hello?"

Static, then a familiar voice whispered, "Cougar?"

I was on my feet and half way out the door before I demanded, "Who is this?"

Quiet buzz of the other line, then the voice answered, "Wolf...I'm in –ble...let me..."

"What?" I yelled in to the phone, drawing all sorts of unwanted attention. "What's going on?"

"Feds won't...leave...--et me?...Francisco...--ome get me?"

"San Francisco?" I asked, racing down the alley ways to an old lot where I'd left my pickup truck. "Gimme an hour and I'll get the team together."

"No!" that came through loud and clear, "I don't... –et them too."

My steps slowed, "Nay, we might need help."

"....alone. I'll be wait--...the bridge."

"Hold on," I fumbled for my keys, "Stay on the line." My phone was quiet though and I checked it to confirm that the call had been lost. "Dangit," I growled, and flung my pickup door open.

I sped down back streets that I'd been prowling for months, now completely familiar with them. Hopefully someone was at the Hotel. The gate was closed, making me park outside the grounds. I didn't have a key anymore, so I scaled the gate with little effort and a lot of mumbled curses. After sprinting to the front door, I found that that, too, was locked. "Since when do you people care so much about security?" I asked no one in particular. I could have picked the locks but it would have undoubtedly set off all the alarms in the school. I opted for pressing the door bell repeatedly in the most annoying manner. Finally some one swung open the door.

Lisa was still dressed, I assumed because she was still up this late working. "Yes, who--" her eyes flew open when she noticed me, "Cougar! What are you...I mean--"

I brushed past her, "Where's the team?"

"Come in," she offered sarcastically, having regained her composure. "The X-Men are out on a mission to the south...that's all I know."

I rolled my eyes, "God, Lisa, ya say it like I'm gonna try ta beat the truth outta ya." I started toward the hanger.

"Well, from our end that seems to be what you're good at these days," she remarked dryly before realizing that I wasn't waiting in the parlor or what ever the fancy word for that room would be. "Cougar, where are you going?"

"I need the mini jet," I answered without breaking stride.

"Excuse me? You're not authorized to fly either of the jets; you're not on the team anymore."

I slammed open the door to the hanger. My life, as of late, had forced me to be on the paranoid side. I didn't even notice anymore that I checked behind every door. I reply off handedly, "Hey, once an X-Man, always an X-Man, right?" I paused by the mini.

"I believe that rule is for _rejoining _X-Men, not borrowing their million dollar aircrafts," she stood infront of me.

I stopped to narrow my eyes, "Listen, Lisa, I didn't wanna come back like this--"

"We were under the impression that you didn't want to come back at all."

"OK," I moved to the cabinets lining the walls and took out a small tracking device, "I'll be low-jacked the whole time. When they get back from 'the south', have them track me ta where I go and then they can yell at me. Totally not yer fault." I placed the magnetic tracker on the belly of the plane.

"I can't let you do this. You'll just have to wait until Crayola and the rest get back," she crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground.

I stared coldly at her, "Wolf is in trouble. I'm takin' the jet. Don't make me take it from _you_ specifically."

She stood still, thought I could see her throat swallow. "I--"

My foot connected with the side of her head. To be nice, I caught her before she crashed to the cement floor. "Sorry, Lisa, but I don't have time for this."

It had been awhile, but it was more or less like riding a bike. I flew out of Denver at max speed and aimed for the San Francisco bridge. It seemed like it took forever.

I didn't know how legal it would be to park a jet on the grass, but I did it anyway. I used my cell to call back the number that Wolf had reached me on but all I got was a happy woman saying that it was no longer a working number.

I started to slink around under the bridge and had gotten only a few feet into the shadows when a voiced called out through the dark.

"So you're the infamous Cougar?" It was a man's voice. He sounded more bored than interested in who I was. "I thought that you were supposed to be hard to find. Arriving in a jet attracts a little too much attention for your reputation, doesn't it?"

My cat eyes scanned the darkness and found the owner of the voice leaning up against a wall. He had weird goggles over the top half of his face and through the straps across his head I could see his short hair was thinning noticeably. "Who are you?" I demanded, moving silently to my right. His head turned to follow me. Aha. Night vision goggles.

"A man of little importance to the world but of a great deal to you at this exact time."

My senses cranked up and I scanned the area wearily, "Where's Wolf?" I continued moving toward him.

"Wolf. Oh, yes, you see she is what we call affiliated (with the government none the less) so we can't touch her. You, on the other hand are what we call rogues. And it's open season on rogues."

A tranquillizer dart slammed into my shoulder, making me snarl in both pain and at my own stupidity.. I'd been set up. I pulled the dart out and tossed it away. My leather coat may have been heavy enough to keep some of the drug out of my body. My instincts kicked in: Fight or Flight?

I lunged at the man, a mere distraction, but still, I wanted to spill his blood if nothing else. He turned to run but I was on him too quickly, shredding through his clothes and skin of his turned back. He screamed right before another dart hit my own back.

I threw off my coat, dislodging the needle from my skin, but the drugs were taking effect. Flight time. I tried to run to the jet but there were two or three black shapes that my fuzzing eyes couldn't distinguish until one of them tackled me to the ground. Like a cornered cat, I bit and clawed and did a satisfying amount of damage to the one man and the second that had come to help. They pulled away from me suddenly, leaving their skin in my claws. Then a tazer hit me and I was out cold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's been too long. When I first arrived at this...place...my internal clocks were still working. I had a vague recollection of day or night or time. Now its all melted. The florescent light is always on, always buzzing above our heads. There's no consistent periods between when the guards come and take one of us away or when/if they bring us back.

I wake up from an uncomfortable position propped against the cold metal wall. Something heavy weighs on my thigh and I look down to see Trinity's head resting on it. I carefully move the girl and she stays asleep as I get up and stretch the kinks and knots from my muscles. Lexi is still missing and with a sick feeling weighing on my empty stomach, I conclude that she's not coming back.

The other girls are still sleeping so I do my pacing silently, observing the room; checking every square inch for cracks, holes, weaknesses; trying to take stock of what we have and how we can use it. We're all barefoot. They'd taken our shoes and clothes and given us black cotton pants and long sleeved shirts. They looked like pajamas, which I find ironic because PJ's are comfortable where as nothing in this place brings comfort.

I flex and open my fingers, watching my bloody claws. Finally, I sigh and sit back down. I'm tired again and annoyingly weak.

"They're not coming," Sara whispers.

I look across the room to where she's curled up on the floor and staring her green cat eyes back at my golden ones. My mouth opens and closes. I don't know what to say because I'm not sure if they're coming. I had known that they were, then had hoped, and now I'm starting to doubt that they're coming.

She stares a little longer then closes her wide eyes again.

I lean the back of my head against the wall and stare at a spot on the ceiling.

"Why did you leave? I thought they were the good guys," Trinity crawls across the floor to huddle next to Callie, who's awake now too. "Why would you leave the good guys?"

They're all looking at me now. "We...disagreed."

Sara stretches like a house cat as she asks, "Does that mean they kicked you out?"

"No," I answer blandly, "I left."

"But _why _would you leave the X-Men?" Trinity presses.

I stare at the spot in the ceiling.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK, so are you hooked? Liking it? Not? More of the story next chapter, and a little less bouncing between times.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Sorry, forgot to put this in the first chapter. I don't own the X-Men. I do own Cougar and her team and any one else that you've never heard of before. Thanks.

**Review Replies:**

Yeaaa: here. Here. HERE!

12Kirby12: I'm glad for another fan. Her leaving the X-Men is the story....so keep reading!

WinterWarrior:I'm glad people aren't getting sick of Cougar yet :D

Lady Q: Yea, I wanted to bring her 'saga' around. End the way it began, ya know?

Amazon Panther: I love cliff hangers...can't ya tell?

Dusel: I ignore all M-Day'ness...I just don't like it. Like how in some stories I ignore all of Emma Frost'ness. Cougar's powers make her unnoticeable, but you pointed out my mistake, I think I meant to say that they were wearing heat vision she's sticking out that much, and they're looking specifically for her AND she landed in a huge jet, they should be able to key in on her easily enough.

Vballmania23: Glad you're hooked!

**Quote:** Ad in Newspaper: Free puppies! Half cocker spaniel, Half sneaky-neighbor-dog.

**CHAPTER 2**

OK, so I'm sure you're all wondering 'What? Leave the X-Men? Why would you DO such a thing?' Well it happened gradually, but it started not too long after I last told my story...So here's another for you...

After three months of 'vacation', Joseph came back to the X-Men. He neither expected to regain the leader role, nor was he offered it. He was placed as second in command but only because I'd turned it down before hand. I assumed no one told him that, because he didn't seem to have a beef with me.

Things were working out fine. Our team of seven worked surprisingly well together, though it was touch and go with the green horn Stopwatch (Randall) for awhile. Then Wolverine met me in an alley one night.

"Hey, kid, I need ta talk to ya."

I whirled around, surprised, but not enough to jump and scream. I thought I was being followed, but assumed that I'd scared them away when I broke up a gang fight. I was actually on my way back to the Hotel, our nickname for the Denver Branch of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. "Wolverine? What're you doin' here?"

He didn't answer me but asked a question of his own, "You still get quick service at that bar?"

I gave him a confused look, "Yea..."

"Lets go." He led the way. We didn't talk on the 20 minute walk; I knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't until he wanted to. When we got to the bar, he held the door open and I walked in, turning down my powers.

The bartender nodded a greeting to me. I jerked my thumb back at Wolverine so he'd know to send two menus to the table. The usual late night waitress brought me my Pepsi and a tap beer for Logan, asking if it'd do for now. He grunted and she left us to look over our food choices.

Once out of ear shot, I gave Logan my full attention. "What's goin' on?" I'm naturally a worrier. Ton's of scenarios ran through my head. Who died? What blew up? Did someone go bad? Did someone disappear? Did someone come back from the dead?

"We got a mission for ya," he watched me carefully while sipping his beer.

"What?" I sat back, relived but still confused.

"We need ta know if yer in or not before I explain anymore."

I blinked rapidly then asked again, "What?"

"Are ya in or out?"

My head shook slowly, "Logan, you can't just sneak up behind me 'n say, 'In or out'. What's goin' on?"

He hesitated, "We can't tell ya anymore..."

"What is this? Another test? Who's this 'we'?"

He took a long drink, "No test. 'We' is me, Summers and Frost. And I can't tell ya anymore if yer gonna turn it down."

I stared at him with narrowed eyes but he wouldn't volunteer any more. "Is this a bad mission?"

"Depends on how ya look at it."

"Are you gonna tell me ta kill someone?"

He gave me a 'you should know better' look, "No."

I licked my dry lips. Curiosity killed the cat... "I'm trustin' ya on this, Wolverine." I thought I saw his jaw tense slightly, almost like he winced, but I continued, "I'm in."

"All right," the waitress came back at the moment with her pen and paper, "What can I get you folks?"

Neither of us had even opened our menus. We ordered cheeseburgers and she hurried away.

"This is a covert operation. Ya don't tell anyone on yer team. I know, Cyke and Emma know. No one else, got it?"

"Lips sealed. Got it." I was getting edgier the longer it took him to spit it out. "What is it that I'm not tellin' people?"

"There's a new group of mutants runnin' around these parts callin' themselves the Chosen of the Earth. They've all got nature based powers, which is how you'll fit in. Feral equals animals. Followin' me so far?"

I gave him a dubious look, "Am I supposed ta infiltrate or something?"

"Exactly."

"And why is this covert?"

"Cuz yer gonna go up against the X-Men, yer team most likely, and I need them ta see ya as a traitor for ya ta pull this off."

Oh, I was bombarded with regrets, but shook them off with sarcasm, "That'll be fun." Like my team needed another reminder of my past with the bad guys.

"Sorry kid, but that's the mission." He did sound sorry.

I blew air through my pursed lips. "OK, so how do I get in?"

"These guys have been recruitin' mutants that fall inta their parameters. They asked Storm ta join--"

"Storm?" I interrupted, "I thought she was in Africa."

"She is. They flew someone across the world ta offer her an invitation. She was our heads up about these guys."

"They flew someone? That mean they got friends in high places or their own money?"

"Both," he answered, clearly annoyed. Our food came but we both ignored it as he continued with the story. "The leader is some kid from Upper Alberta. His family owned a mine up there. When the old man croaked—suspiciously--the kid inherited the whole joint, then closed it down, claimin' it was bad for the environment. That mine supported the whole town, so them folks weren't exactly thrilled ta help the planet." He paused to take a bite of his burger.

I picked at mine,then ate a fry, "So how'd he form the group?"

"The town people chased him off 'n burned down his family's house. Next day, the whole town was wiped out by a freak tornado."

"The guy controls the wind?"

"Yep. He started goin' around, protesting with environmental radical groups. If they didn't get the results they wanted, he'd get them his own way. He said he felt like he was chosen by the Mother Earth ta be her protector, his powers were his proof. Pretty soon others like him with the same view points were congregating around him. There's 11 now. They're lookin' for their 12th."

"Where I come in?" I had no appetite that night so I continued to pick at my fries. After he nodded I asked, "But if they're recruitin' how am I supposed ta get in?"

"I got their scent. Yer gonna sneak inta their base 'n introduce yerself. Leave them with yer offer."

"So I'm supposed ta just up 'n leave the X-Men ta join them? My team won't buy it and they probably wouldn't either."

He polished off his burger while thinking. Apparently only I had lost my appetite. I'd always wondered if his healing factor made him eat more. I offered him mine and shook my head when he asked, "Not hungry?" He continued, "We estimate that the group will be in town with in the next couple days--"

I snorted, interrupting him, "Way ta cut it close, guys."

"Hey, I had ta catch ya out alone. Ya haven't been goin' solo too often, if ya know what I mean."

He meant that Jake was tagging along with me lately, and that I wasn't all that against it anymore. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Yea I know what ya mean, but it aint what ya think, so get that smirk off yer face." No romance here, it was just nice having back up (with force field capabilities) every once in awhile when I went slinking off through the nights.

He raised an eyebrow at me but got back to the point, "Anyway, they'll be here in a couple days. I suggest that in that time, ya start...rebellin' a bit."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Question Amber's calls, get a little more secretive, stop goin' ta classes or training. Maybe start some trouble with animals or somethin'."

"Like what? Free the animals at the zoo? I wouldn't do something like that. They'd never know it was me."

"So get caught."

I stared at him, thought about asking if he was crazy, then thought about it a little more. "How?"

He shrugged, "Just make waves, kid."

I'd never made waves before. Not intentionally.

Logan paid for dinner. We stood outside the bar for a second as he asked, "Ya gonna be OK on this one, kid?"

I honestly didn't know. "Yea, sure," I answered, then lightened my voice, "I'm gonna go free the animals at the zoo."

He grunted and handed me a track phone. "You can get ahold of us by using the number two speed dial. Don't call anyone else." He walked off to where ever he'd come from in the beginning and I went back to the Hotel.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I don't know why, but no one ever knocked on my bedroom door. I'd just stepped out of the bathroom, my hair still dripping wet, when Jake walked through the door.

"Hey, Fangs," he smiled at me like he always did.

"Stop callin' me that." I ordered like I always did.

"Its either that or your real name."

"Cougar's been my name since I was 16," I argued back. "That's real enough."

"Cougar's your code name--"

"Really?" I snapped, "What's yers?"

He only smirked. After four months and six different field trials, Jake's code name was still listed as Jake. With an audible squeak, he closed the door behind him. "Why won't you let me fix that for you again?"

I sighed and started combing out my hair. "If I wanted it fixed I'd do it myself."

"So fix it."

"No. It lets me know when people come in because _no one_ ever _knocks._"

"You're getting grumpy on me, Fangs." he sat on my bed with a slight bounce, then propped his elbows on his knees. "Bad night or something? You could have called me."

"Night was fine. I'm just tired," I hinted.

He didn't pick it up, "Aw, come on, it's only eleven."

"It's 11:55. That means its midnight."

"Exactly. Mid night on a Thursday. Lets go bust some students for being out past curfew. You can do that thing where you interrupt their conversations by popping out of no where."

"Are you hyper or something?" I stared at myself in the mirror. My hair needed to be cut again.

"I've done nothing but subbing classes all week. I'm bored out of my mind. Lets go order some Chinese or something..." Through the mirror he observed me drumming my claws against the dresser, "Hey, you OK?"

"Yea," I turned around finally and sighed, "I'm just tired. Rain check on the Chinese, though?"

He didn't look like he believed me, "Yea? All right I guess I'll just let you turn in then."

Once he was gone I collapsed onto my bed for a night of tossing and turning. I didn't know how to make waves...

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"What...Why...I mean..." Amber sputtered for the right words before settling on, "What the hell were you _thinking_?!"

I made waves.

"Hey, we stop bad guys. They were bad guys."

Joseph butted in, "They were _scientists_!"

"Who were torturing animals," I finished the sentence for him.

Amber shook her head, "It may be unethical, but destroying their lab is _illegal_. We don't do illegal, remember?"

"I wasn't wearing my uniform. It's non-X-Man related, OK?"

"But you were caught on camera, you're on every news station!" Joseph butted in again.

I blinked at him, "Excuse me, why are you here again?"

He narrowed his eyes, "Because I'm second in command."

"And," Amber cut me off, "I invited him to this discussion."

"This," I yelled back, getting up to leave, "Aint a discussion. This is you two grillin' me."

"Cougar sit back down," she added the, "Please," at the last minute to soften the commanding tone.

I slammed out of her office and ran into Jake, who'd been eaves dropping.

"Move," I shoved him to the side to get by.

"Hey..."

"Cougar," Amber called out her door. If Jake wasn't right there, I could have gone unnoticed, but he was staring pointedly at me. "Cougar what the hell is wrong with you?"

I shook my head with a frustrated growl, "I need air."

"Oh no you don't," she stormed forward and grabbed my arm, "Don't you go use that feral rage crap as an excuse..."

I stared hard at her hand, then glared back up at her, "Amber, now's not the time ta back me in to a corner. Let go of my arm."

She dropped it like it was hot. I stormed away.

I don't know why I was so mad. What I'd done was justified, but how I'd done it—putting three guards in the hospital--was not. And I understood that I was off the team for awhile. My face was all over the news from that one surveillance camera that I'd left on 'by mistake'. Maybe it was just the fact that she teamed up with Joseph to 'handle' me.

I stayed out in the gardens and walked through the old cemetery on the other side of the woods when anyone came looking for me.

When I finally did go to my room, slinking through the house and avoiding everyone, I was mostly calmed down. The door squeaked as I opened it, waking up Jake who was on my floor, propped against the foot of the bed.

"Hey, that does work," he mumbled with a stretch and getting to his feet.

"What are you doin' here?" I demanded.

"Well, I figured that if I went looking for you I'd never find you, so I just waited for you to find me."

"Well," I replied, not smiling, "Ya found me. Now get out. I aint in the mood ta be sociable."

"You know, my dad was in a lot of Black Ops missions, and he taught me a whole lot, kind of like what Logan taught you." He was looking me straight in the eye while telling me this, meaning all joking was gone.

"Yer point?"

He frowned slightly at my rudeness but continued, "You spend your life going unnoticed. You were trained to be. You shouldn't have missed that camera that got you caught."

I sneered at him, "Yer gonna lecture me about bein' sloppy?"

He looks down at the floor, then back at me, "I don't believe you were being sloppy."

I stopped myself from growling, annoyed at getting caught by him, of all my teammates. Quickly, I relied on my old friend, sarcasm, "Well, I appreciate yer vote of confidence in me, Jake. Now get out."

He nodded and started out, but took ahold of my arm as he passed by. Before I could snap at him he said, "You know if you need to talk I'm here."

That caught me off guard, and damn him, he left before I could reply with a scathing remark.


	3. Chapter 3

Review Replies: Sorry guys, short on time and I wanted to get this out. I'm about 1/3 of the way done with writing it, its just the typing and posting that takes me forever. Plus, my internet access left me… (mean looks toward sister…) Any way, I'll try for individual replies next time ok?

Quote: Oscar Wilde: Do you mind if I smoke?

Sarah Bernhardt: I don't care if you burn.

Chapter 3

The track phone Wolverine had given me buzzed in my hand, jarring me awake. Looking at the digital clock I sighed, 2:30, and flipped open the phone.

He spoke first, "Nice waves kid."

I grunted back.

"Puttin' the guards in an ambulance was a bit excessive though."

I grunted again and he got the signal. I was staying quiet on my line because someone was on to me. Maybe.

"Ya get the message today?"

"Mhm," I barely breathed into the phone.

"Ya go get the files yet?"

"Uhuh."

"No time like the present, kid," he was annoyingly motivated, "Yer new team's gonna show up later today." Then he hung up.

I cursed quietly then got up and dressed. I'd received a letter that day post marked from my sister Laura, who was doing mutant PR stuff in New York. It was really a coded letter from Cyclops telling me where Logan had stashed a manila envelope with files on the Chosen of the Earth. I had to go across town to get them, but it worked out for the best by me taking my pick up out there, alerting security to my midnight departure and later return. I was grounded, by the way.

The location was an abandoned building in use by a dozen or so homeless people, druggies and a prostitute. No one was either awake, or alert enough for me to worry about, but all of the rotting floor boards creaked as I walked, so I 'turned down' my unnoticeable powers so as not to scare someone and cause a ruckus. Up three flights of sketchy stairs, fourth door on the right (technically, the door was missing), count six steps straight in, seven to the left. I fell to the floor at the spot and used my claws as leverage to pry up the floor board. The corner of the envelope came into view and I snatched it away from a mouse chewing off the corner for nesting supplies.

Replacing the board, I carefully picked my way to the rotting corner of the room to go over the files. My powers went back on high.

I pulled a map of North America out first, speckled with red dots and lines connecting them. They started in Alberta and went all over Canada, then into the U.S.. Next came a list of the locations with descriptions of the activities or names of people recruited. Buildings, factories, mines, laboratories; burned down, blown up, flooded out. People, workers scientists, doctors, police killed or presumed dead. Planes trains and ships demolished. Scary stuff.

They'd only been running around for six months or so and no one had hardly connected them to the crimes. Most of the crimes themselves were officially reported as acts of Mother Nature. The government was just catching on and compiling the information that I had in my hands, which made me wonder where it had all come from. The names of the members and their powers were compiled from video images of the group at protests and vague psychic impressions that Frost could pick up. That list came next.

The leader was Daniel Pewter, 25 years old, could control the wind. He had three people under him as 'advisers'. Kimberly, no known last name, was his blonde girlfriend and had fire abilities. Russell Strausheim was associated with dirt or something (the report was quite vague). Alice K was an Asian 'water witch'. A second bract of people was groups as the officials. Peter could communicate with foliage. Angelo had volcanic powers (see, vague again). Everyone else was listed without a title and the information was patchy at best:

Unknown Name: Something to do with boulders.

Micah: Became vaporized (see, now what kind of information is that?)

Unknown name: Unknown powers (I love my intel…)

Sherilynn: Unknown powers.

Donna Jean: Shape shifts (didn't say into what though…).

That was all the folder had. I read it over twice more, trying to memorize it as best as I could and got up to leave. The sun was coming out and I had to get caught getting back home. I dropped the papers into the homeless people's burn barrel and watched it turn to ashes before leaving. I knew no one had (or could have) followed me, but better safe than sorry. Not that I was trying TOO hard to be safe.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I was banned from the mission. It came in from New York, and the team went out right away. Then I got the call from Cyclops.

"Cougar?"

"Yea," I kept the 'no duh' sound out of my voice. I was the only one with the phone…

"They're going up against the CoE. What you have to do is meet them there. Insist on helping. As I recall, you're prone to ignoring orders anyway."

I made a face at the phone, then shrugged it off. He was right.

"Try to capture one of the members, but let them go at the last minute. Build up their trust in you."

And tear down the X-Men's. I didn't say that out loud, but instead asked, "Where'd all the information come from?"

He hesitated, "That's not important. Hurry out to the location," and hung up on me.

"Yea, OK, bye," I said sarcastically into the dead phone. All right, I was getting a little suspicious by that time, but couldn't worry about it. Amber, foreseeing my disobedience, had taken the keys to all of the school vehicles and both my spare key, and the key's out of my truck's ignition (where I always left them). But, anyone who does that will tell you that they keep more than one spare. Mine was in my jewelry box, which really didn't have any real jewelry in it.

I was still a block fro the fight when the winds hit me. I left my truck and fought the gales on foot the rest of the way. I'm from North Dakota; we're used to the wind. I rounded the corner and froze. It was like a scene from a corny sci-fi movie, like one where the earth had had enough and was destroying the people. Funnel clouds were forming in the air, water was pouring from the sky and wrapping around people, the ground was shaking and concrete cracked and spewed up ancient dirt, followed by molten rock. Numerous things were on fire, despite the rain. The X-Men were teamed up with local cops and SWAT, but were barely holding the destruction at bay. The target had been a chemical building that I wasn't familiar with. Pesticides were produced there, I thought.

I tried to find a conspicuous place to insert myself. Dragon was being engulfed by dirt. I joined Medic in trying to dig him out, "Need some help?"

"Yes," he answered me, "Stay here and keep his head clear while I go try to find the source.

"Cougar," Dragon yelled and spit out mud, "You're not supposed to be here."

I ignored him. Stupid jerk was being eaten by the earth and he yelled at me for trying to save him? The dirt finally stopped creeping up his chest and I assumed that Medic had found the source. I made some more waves, "Ya don't want me here? Dig yerself out." I left him to yell after me.

"Cougar!" Blast yelled, looking around for me.

I had no beef with her so I joined her side, well, right outside her force field. "Yea?"

She lowered the shield to toss me a com-link. "I figured you'd be joining us." She gave me half a smile then went back to smothering out the flames. "I don't know what exactly is in there, but I'm expecting an explosion pretty soon with all the fire. Do you want to make sure everyone's cleared back?"

"Sure," I answered while wondering how I was supposed to do that and get caught releasing a prisoner that I had yet to capture. I ran further into the squabble. Fire trucks were there, trying to put out the flames with water that was fueling the girl Alice's powers. She was being held aloft on a column of water and gesturing grandly toward the fire hoses that were fueling the monsters that were terrorizing the firemen. A policeman took aim at her, but before I could interfere, the ground heaved below him, throwing him off his feet.

I took a step forward as he reached for his gun again, oblivious to the swirling twister of metal debris about to descend on him. In the classic superhero fashion, I leapt at him and rolled us both away just as the scraps crashed to the ground.

"Get off of me, freak!" he yelled struggling to regain his composure. "You're—"

I jumped back, "the one that just kept yer kids from bein' fatherless, so pipe down." Roughly I yanked him off the ground and to his feet.

He stared meanly at me.

"Yer welcome," I answered his silent gratitude. "Now back off before this building explodes."

"I'm not following orders from some criminal mutie." He actually reached for his cuffs.

I shook my head. "Fine. Get blown up. What's one less bigot in the world, eh?" He lunged but I darted away and lost him in the dust storm.

"Smooth, Cougar," Amber chided me.

"Bite me, crayon box," I growled back.

"All right guys," she called to all of us, "We're not making a dent and cops are going down. We need to—"

"SHIT!" Jake yelled, interrupting her orders, "Everyone get down!"

It was a split second before the explosion completely demolished the lab and blew everyone back.

I woke up, unsure of how long I'd been out. There was a ringing in my ears, dust and smoke in my eyes and lungs. I coughed and it hurt like hell. My right side mostly; I figured the ribs were cracked, at least. My right arm refused to cooperate with me. Blood dripped down from my forehead and I wiped it off of my cheek while trying to free myself of debris.

My uniform, flame retardant, had protected most of my body. I shoved burning lumber away and stood up to survey the damage and find my team mates. My ears kept ringing.

Amber was on her hands and knees, coughing, but waving Ana off. The latter limped to Conner, who was kneeling over Joseph. Jake and Randall were carrying a fireman to safety. We weren't the only ones down. The Chosen whatever's were hauling two people away hurriedly into a black SUV that drove right through the burning street. My ear piece was talking but it sounded like the adults off of Peanuts cartoons. I pulled it out and threw it on the ground, stumbling toward the activists. One girl, the blonde, was crawling out of a pile of wood when I tackled her. OK, so I more like stumbled into her and we both went down.

"Get Off of ME!" she screamed.

My hearing must have been coming back at that time because I heard it loud and clear. I wrestled with her one armed on the ground for a minute before the wind picked back up suddenly. What I saw when I looked up was a very angry looking Daniel Pewter charging toward me. To my left, police were shouting and drawing their weapons and my team was reassembling. I leaned in close to the still struggling Kim and said just loud enough for her to hear "Ya better run real fast." My grip loosened on her arm and she pulled free, doing just that. She glanced back at me right before she met up with Daniel and the cops opened fire.

I winced, sure of carnage but in a split second, a large mound of dirt rose up between the bad guys and the cops. I sat back on my hunches and watched them tear away in their vehicle.

"Cougar!" Jake dropped to his knees and into my line of site. "Hey, you all right?" He looked me over and gently touched my forehead; which, I might add, hadn't been hurting until he did that. "Jeez, that's a bad one. You OK? Medic!"

I blinked and pulled away as he yelled. My head started to ache. "Put my shoulder back into place, wouldja?"

Jake had been raised solely by his ex-Marine father in the Canadian wilderness where doctors had been few and far between. I trusted him to fix me up. That didn't stop me from cursing him and his ancestors when he did it.

"Sorry," he whispered, then, looking me in the eye he said even quieter, "Fangs, don't fight them."

"What?" I asked, but he didn't have to answer. Policemen were surrounding me with their guns pointed to kill. I found the one that I'd saved earlier and narrowed my eyes at him. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't move, mutant," he replied, sighting down his handgun. "You're under arrest for breaking and entering, destruction of property and attempted murder…" he started reading me my rights but all I could her was myself growling.

Jake still had ahold of my arm and squeezed it tightly, "Don't fight them Fangs."

I looked at him and he looked back. Jake had the gift of seeing events up to a minute in the future. They weren't controllable; when he got them, he got them, when he didn't he did without. From his reaction, I was guessing that he'd just witnessed my death by firing squad.

"What's going on here?" Crayola demanded, striding confidently right through the crowd. I could tell she was limping slightly and her voice was hoarse when she shouted, "We just risked our lives to help you guys and you try to arrest one of us?"

A female cop answered, her gun never wavering from me, "Why do you think she doesn't have a bullet in her head yet?"

I looked to Amber and she stared from the police to me, "Go with them, Cougar. I'll contact New York and we'll figure this out." To the police she said, "She won't be a problem for you."

"Excuse me?" I snapped.

She turned on me and snapped back, "Damnit, Cougar, just go! That's and order!"

I shifted to get up but Jake's hold on my sore arm kept me still, "Just wait for them."

The police woman holstered her gun and came forward to cuff me with unnecessary roughness.

"Hey," Jake was the only one who called her out, "Watch it with her shoulder," he narrowed his dark eyes at her.

The officer gave him an annoyed look and yanked me to the police car. I kept my cool and only growled a little. Yippee for me. From the car, I watched my team stand and stare as we pulled away. I didn't blame them for their looks of confusion. It's not like arrests were covered in our text books.

I wiggled around in the seat until I could slip my cuffed hands under and around my feet. The cops up front didn't say anything. I pulled a handkerchief out of one of the pockets of my coat (how old fashioned, eh?) and tied it tightly around my still bleeding head. Briefly, I considered trying to wipe the drying blood off of myself, but decided that I'd look a lot scarier in jail with it on. Cool mug shot, too.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

K, good? Bad? Late? Yea I know… Thanks for reading it and for the reviews. I really appreciate them. More's coming, I promise!


	4. Chapter 4

**Review Replies:**

Vballmania:This chapter's pretty fun too. Thanks for the reviews

Lady Q: Thanks. Its kinda a serious fic, but ya gotta have humor in it. That's the best parts sometimes, ya know? Thanks for reviewing. I only got two on that last chapter. That's what I get for makink ppl wait, I guess.

12Kirby12: nope, I graduated with my BS in wildlife management last spring. Now if only I could get a job in the field. Apparently when the economy sucks, there's no gov. jobs out there. Who'da thunk it? But I'm getting by for now. Thanks for the reviews.

**Quote:** "If I be waspish, best beware my sting." –The Taming of the Shrew

**Chapter 4**

"That _is_ you, isn't it, 'Cougar'?" the detective asked (I couldn't remember what he'd said his name was) as he tapped a finger over my face from some surveillance pictures. Of course they were me, but I wasn't going to say that. I actually hadn't said a word since they lead me, handcuffed, into the interrogation room. He slammed his meaty fist on the table, "Damnit, answer me!"

I blinked at his round, reddening face ,then peered over his shoulder when the door opened.

"Hey, take it easy, Pete…Why don't you take a break, huh?" Another plain clothes detective came in. I knew this one though.

His name was Detective Frank Wick. He was dating Amber. They'd met working together during some mutant protest thing and 'hit it off'. He was the head of the Police Department's Mutant Task Force and wanted to change current policies to better help the small-time mutant crooks, especially the young ones. If a juvenile mutant ended up in jail, he'd do his part to get him/her a fair trial and treated equally. He also supposedly had connections with a troubled youth camp for mutants and frequently got those kids sent there, where they'd more likely be treated better.

He'd given me a bad vibe since I met him, but everyone just attributed it to territorial-ness. I didn't trust him, still, and did my best to avoid social situations with him.

Pete left with a glare in my direction and Frank took his chair across the table from me. "Hey, Cougar. I didn't know they had you in custody, otherwise I would have come sooner. Are you all right?"

"It took the head of the mutant task force three hours ta find out that they'd apprehended the most wanted mutant of the week?" I smirked across the table, "Yer either a liar or yer department sucks."

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, like I was giving him a headache. I had that effect on people. "They picked you up with the X-Men. A couple of the guys know I'm dating one, so they didn't want to put me in a bad spot, you know?"

My lie detection training at Xavier's indicated that he was still lying.

I looked around the room and asked with sarcasm, "So…what? Yer here ta spring me or something? Cuz I don't see no keys."

He points to the pictures still spread out over the table, "Is that you?"

I quirked an annoyed eyebrow, "Because you pretended ta care, I spoke with you. But don't think we're old buddies and that I'll open my mouth ta ya."

"Is it a shape shifter?" he asked, ignoring my declaration of silence on the subject, "Because, talking with Amber, this really doesn't seem like something an X-Man would do."

I leaned in to study the photos. "I don't see an emblem."

"So you're saying it wasn't you."

I stared back until he got up and left. A few minutes later, I was escorted to a cell; a very small, one person cell for mutants so that they couldn't conspire and work together to bust out. Not that I needed to conspire: I was taught by the New Orleans Prince of Thieves. But regardless, I was tired and it was late and I needed to rest for awhile. I stretched out on the scarcely padded cot and groaned at my aches and pains. My head was still throbbing. I closed my eyes for a little bit…

"Psst…Hey…"

I sat up, my eyes scanning the room and my brain registering that it was dark.

"Psst, hey? You awake in there?..."

"Yea?" I answered hesitantly and moved to the door to peer through the barred window. "Who're you?"

"My name's Nicky," the disembodied voice answered. I couldn't tell if it belonged to a woman or a young boy. "I heard from one of the other mutants that you're an X-Man."

"Yea," I answered, though I really wasn't sure about it at that time.

"So…we should be ok, right? Because the X-Men wouldn't let anything happen to one of their own, right?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, growing suspicious.

The voice hesitated a moment. "I was in trouble before…but I escaped. And I don't know what they'll do to me this time…"

I strained to see inside the other cell, but the person was away from the window. "What'd they do last time?"

"They sent me somewhere…In a desert or something…And there was a bunch of other mutants and they made us work, but some of the others disappeared or came back all weirded out—" a door opened somewhere and the voice stopped talking.

"What do you mean, 'weirded out'?" I whispered.

"They did stuff to them…" I could barely hear the response, "at the camp…" Footsteps sounded down the hall.

Alarm bells in my head, "Nicky, how old are you?"

"Thirteen," he answered, right before a guard flipped on a light and bellowed, "Hey, mutants, no talking."

I looked through my bars across the hall and into the next cell where the boy hand managed to just get his eyes into view. They were hypnotizing, interesting eyes; slowly transitioning from one color to the next as I stared at them. His hair, barely grown out from a buzz cut, did the same.

"Who put you there? At the camp?" I asked.

"I said," the fat guard ordered, coming into view, "No Talking." He sneered into the other cell, "You've been warned before, Rainbow Boy." He slammed his baton against the metal door and the boy disappeared from my view.

I heard the hall door open again and more foot steps. My growl drew the first man's attention. "Pick on someone yer own size, he's just a kid."

The baton slammed against my bars. I didn't flinch. Two more policemen came.

"Mind your own business, bitch," he unlocked the other door.

"That aint no way ta speak to a lady," I threatened, "Why doncha open _my_ door and I'll teach ya some manners, ya fat tub o' lard?" I tried to keep his attention so that maybe they'd leave the clearly frightened child alone.

No luck. The other two grabbed him and dragged him out, kicking and screaming

"Let him go," I yelled back, reaching my arm through the bars to swipe my claws at the closest guard. I barely scratched him, but did tear the uniform. My arm pulled back just fast enough to avoid being broken by fatso's club.

"Wicked Wick!" Nicky cried as they continued to drag him away, "It was a cop name Wick—" He stopped talking after I heard a loud thud. My stomach tightened.

The first guard sneered through my bars, "Go to sleep, mutant."

I snarled openly at him, but he walked away. No one's afraid of an animal behind bars. Its only after they get out that people start to worry.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day I was back in the interrogation room, but this time I spoke to the first cop, before he even sat down, "Lemme talk ta Wick."

I went three hours, two more cops and one lawyer before my demand was met.

"Hey, Cougar," he slid into the chair across from me again, "I'm glad you've decided to talk to me. I can probably get you a deal on your sentencing because of all of the help the X-Men have been to us and you guys turning over mutant criminals to our task force. OK, so what I need from you is a written confession—"

"Where's the boy?" I demanded, interrupting his speech.

His whole body went still for a second, "What boy?"

"Nicky," I watched him carefully, "The boy in the cell across from mine."

He sighed, "You have to understand, Cougar; with mutant crime rates soaring, people are scared of anyone with powers. One of the rules that's enforced in our jail here is that there's no conversing after lights out. Nicky has a problem with following the rules, it's why he's here. So he was removed to a cell where it'd be easier from him to follow that rule in particular."

"He told me about yer camp," I drop that one on the table.

Two quick eye blinks, "He's never been to the delinquent camp. Nicky's had a difficult childhood. He's a compulsive liar. I mentioned the camp to him and his foster father, who agreed that it would be the best alternative for the boy. Nicky lost his temper. He doesn't want to leave home, but it may be for the best in the long run." He shook his head and wiped the concerned look off of his face and replaced it with a smile. "What do you say we get back to you?"

"Did ya know that women blink twice as much as men do?" Genuine confusion slid across his face at that. "People who are lying also blink twice as much as they normally do." I watched him relax his facial muscles as I kept going. "So. Either you were lyin' during that story, or you've got a big secret that Amber should know about. What's the truth here?"

He tried to keep his face neutral, "Cougar, I think you've got more important things to worry about."

Staring him straight in the eye, I told him, "When I get outta here, I'm gonna find the truth. If I don't like what I find, I'm comin' after _you_, Wicked Wick."

Now he glared back, "That so? Well I've got news for you, sweetheart: You know those cuffs you're wearing? Better get used to them cuz there're not even going to let you take them off to piss where they're sending you."

"When's the last time ya saw my hands?" I asked with narrowed eyes and a slight smile, drawing his attention to the fact that my hands weren't lying flat on the table like they were supposed to be. "What you should be worryin' about is what I'm gonna do with my hands. Should I just keep talkin' and free my feet, or should I smash yer face and get the keys outta yer from pocket?"

He stared at me, then laughed, "I'm a trained detective. You've been patted down. You're bluffing. Put yer hands on the table or there'll be real trouble."

I smiled, holding up the cuffs with my freed hands.

Wiped that smug look right off his face.

He tried to push himself up and away from the table, but I swung the open cuff toward him, locking it around one wrist. With a savage pull, I jerked him forward enough to grab the back of his head and slammed his face into the heavy metal table. Blood gushed from his nose while I snatched the keys from his shirt pocket. Before he could recover, I pushed him back hard enough for him to fall over his metal fold out chair.

Calmly, I unlocked my ankle restraints as he screamed obscenities at me and two more cops barged in, yelling for back up. Their guns were drawn, but they'd be fools to shoot in such a small room. I tackled the smallest one, bouncing his head against the wall as I brought him hard to the ground. Immediately I turned on the other, lunging for his chest. He can't shoot me if I'm on top of him. My claws tore through the skin of his hand as I ripped his gun away. I hurled it at Wick's head, blindsiding him with it as he tried to get to his feet.

Out the interrogation room, I took a left, heading for the front desk. Half the police station massed toward me. My powers were on high, but if they had a bead on me, it would do me no good. Randomly I darted to the left and right, hurdling desks, chairs, garbage cans. My best bet was to lose some of them at least until I got to the street.

More cops blockaded the front, so I altered my plans. I took the stairs. Hopping over the railings, I made a little space between me and the uniformed mob at my heels. I burst through the door at the bottom of the steps and looked around quickly. An older janitor stopped mopping to stare.

"Excuse me, sir," I said politely before grabbing his mop bucket and throwing the soapy water onto the floor.

The younger men who were leading the pack slipped with their poorly gripped shoes. This caused enough of a pile up for me to grab the confused man's mop with a "Thank you" and dart into a random room. I jammed the door closed with the wooden handle, knowing it wouldn't hold for long.

I never used to have such good luck. The room, though it was a basement, had a window.

Moving quickly while the men broke down my door, I propped open one of the ground level windows, made some claw marks toward the outside, then went and sat in the corner with my powers on high. Why didn't I leave? I had some snooping to do. Plus, they still had my coat.

Like in the movies, they busted in and swept the room with their guns pointed to kill.

"The window," one pointed out a little too dramatically.

"Three block perimeter," another ordered into his shoulder walkie-talkie, "The mutant's escaped through a basement window," everyone hustled out as he continued, "Get the dogs."

I followed the men who were chasing me back up the stairs. Funny, aint it? It wasn't too difficult to walk through the station, it was chaotic enough by that time, and wait patiently in the corner of Wick's office. He was having someone set his nose and hollering like a banshee. Wuss.

I didn't have to wait long for someone to rush in. "Sir, the dogs are going to be here in two minutes."

Wick shrugged off the Medic, "Lets go," he barked at the messenger and stormed out of the office, turning off the lights and locking the door.

His office was quite dark with his blinds down, which was good, because I could see just fine and the lights wouldn't make my growing headache worse. Even better, the idiot had left his computer logged in. I went there first, looking through files and folders but didn't find anything about mutants or a camp, even in the locked folders. I was sure that he had things hidden in there, but my computer skills were never that exceptional, even with extensive classes from Xaviers. Hard copies in the filing cabinets turned up nothing, too. Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to put such illegal material as that where someone could just stumble upon it.

I pawed through his desk and found the hidden compartment in the bottom drawer. Cliché, I know.

He had files of mutant kids with mug shots and their powers listed. Some of the kids has a number attached with a sticky note. The newer files had the same number typed in. I wrote it down and carefully put everything back where it'd been.

I had to wait twenty minutes for Wick to barge back into the room. "Then get new dogs!" he yelled. "One of them's gotta pick up her scent."

"Sir," a younger uniformed officer tried to reason with him, "If she's invisible, maybe her scent is too?"

"She's not invisible," he snapped, "She just goes unnoticed. Damnit," he slammed his fist against the desk, knocking over his cup of pencils that I'd carefully placed, "We should have collared her. We've got some back in storage somewhere."

"She would have turned us in for having them, sir."

"So what? We're the mutant task force. We protect the city from monsters. We should be allowed to use whatever tools are available." He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers in thought, "Call the news channels and leak it to them that she's escaped and should be considered dangerous. Make sure they still have that security photo and email them the mug shots. I want her found before she can meddle in my plans."

The officer hesitated, then left with me, unknown, at his heels.

Sometimes, all I can see is the downsides of my powers. With my claws, I have to get right in close to the bad guys to do any damage. My teeth are worthless unless I really want to bite someone (which I don't, ew.). I can walk on snow, but that's only useful if I'm IN snow. And I can go unnoticed, but not invisible. If someone knows I'm there, I can't just disappear.

But, as I walked out of the front door of the police station, I felt pretty powerful.

It took me awhile to find an indiscreet pay phone, but I got one and dialed the number that Wolverine and made me memorize.

It rang four times before he answered, "Yea?"

"I busted out. Now what?"

He was quiet for a second and I though the phone died. Finally he asked, "Where ya at?"

I tried to read the street corner sign, but couldn't "Uh, four blocks south of the cop shop and three blocks east."

There was movement on the other line, "Cop shop?"

"Police station," I corrected my small town slang.

"What's the street name?"

"Can't read it from here," I answered. My vision sporadically blurred, leading me to think that I still had a concussion from the explosion the previous night. "What do ya want me ta do?"

"Wait there." He hung up on me.

After hanging up my line, I went and sat out on my curb. My mind started wandering until the sound of dogs baying snapped me out of my trance. I shot to my feet, but wobbled at the speed, seeing stars. Once your adrenaline wears off, it can hit you hard. I took a step into the street and almost got side swiped by a car. I jumped back as the window rolled down. Behind the tint was Wolverine.

"Get in," he ordered.

I did and kept down on the floor boards as he smoothly drove the car out of sight from the mutant posse. "Where we goin'?" I climbed up into the front passenger seat and buckled up.

"I'm droppin ya off at the Hotel. Sneak back in, leave 'em a note that yer joinin' the Chosen of the Earth and take anything that ya would if ya really were runnin'."

I groaned and laid my head back against the headrest as a thought occurred to me.

"What?" he didn't take his eyes from the busy streets.

"They got my coat," I sighed, "My coat's still at the cop shop."

"Ya don't got another one or what?"

A little huffy, I crossed my arms across my chest and mumbled, "I liked _that_ coat."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Happy Turkey Day to the Americans! Happy Thursday to anyone not from the U.S. (don't wanna make you guys feel left out). Reviews please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Replies: **(where the hell's my ProudToBeAnX-Nerd?)

**VBallMania: **Thanks, this story is actually so full of plots, it's almost confusing, but they all tie into one another and lead into each other. So, hopefully it's all OK.

**Dusel:** Ohhh, we'll see, there's actually quite a surprise in store when she meets up with the Chosen. It'll be great.

**Quote:** Notice: Persons attempting to find motive in this narrative witll be prosecuted; persons attempting to find moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. By Order of the Author. –Notice in beginning of Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn

**Note to All:** OK, so I know this is taking me a long time, but I just bought a house and have been spending all of my free time trying to remodel it so that I can move in and THEN I'll have more time. I'm not getting a lot of reviews and I can't tell if its cuz I'm taking so long to get chapters out or if no one's really interested in this story. But I wrote it out so I might as well post it all for the few fans that I have, right? This one's gonna be short, but its where the cut off ended up. Its still good though. I think?

**Chapter 5**

Grabbing a couple of articles of clothing and leaving a note should have been easy. Of course it wasn't.

As I prowled through the school, I noticed students glued to the TV's where my face was plastered all over the news. My offenses were repeated, the security photos were shown again, and my mug shot was added to the story. The captions read 'Dangerous mutant escapes police custody. City-Wide mutant hunt begins' and 'Considered dangerous to approach, notify authorities immediately if seen'. Ha! Like anyone would be able to find me if I didn't want them to…

I took the stairs silently, dodging students who were talking about me.

Jana, an older student was trying to explain to our youngest resident, Emma, why I was considered a dangerous, "We don't know the whole story, though, Em. Maybe Ms. Cougar didn't really do those things and she's getting…picked on by the police?"

The four year old looked up with doleful eyes, "But aren't the police nice?"

"Well, some are, but others are mean to mutants."

This seemed too much for the child, "Will they be mean to us too?"

The girl sighed, "Oh, Emma, its complicated grown up stuff, OK? Don't worry about it. Let's go play a game."

Wow. That makes me feel good on the inside…sarcasm there. I continued to my room, but stopped outside of Amber's where I could here her having a conversation over the phone.

"Well I _did_ tell her to cooperate, Frank. I gave her an order and fully expected her to obey it—" She paused then objected, "She listens when she knows she has to…_usually._ You knew what her powers were, don't get mad at me that she slipped away—" another pause then a loud, "She broke your nose?!"

Secretly, I smiled to myself.

"No we haven't seen her yet. But she's all over the news, Frank. Cougar's like a cougar, now that she's spooked she might not come around for awhile. Why'd you have to put her face all over the TV again?" Another pause, "Well if leaked information is a problem in your precinct maybe you should do something about it. If you guys could just back off…Why not?!"

I didn't feel bad that I was damaging their relationship, but I did feel slightly guilty about Amber being put in the middle of it. When I got the chance I'd call her and warn her about that two-faced mutant hating scum bag.

From my room I grabbed a spare uniform, my second coat with my lock picking tools and other gizmos and a couple of changes of clothes. Scribbling a quick note ('I joined the Chosen of the Earth. Ana, please feed my cat, you're the only one he trusts. -Cougar') I left it on my desk, placing my X-Man badge on the corner of it.

Jake stumbled out of the bathroom with a loud, "Ha! I heard you this time!"

"God, Jake," I hissed, placing a hand over my racing heart, "Ya scared the crap outta me."

"Good, you need to be scared," he whispered angrily back, "What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to wait for us to come get you from the cops. They're staking this place out right now."

"I couldn't wait, OK?" I shook my head and winced from my ever-growing headache.

"What do you mean?" he stepped forward suddenly, less angry and more concerned, "Did they hurt you there?"

"What?" I gave him a dubious look, "Didn't ya hear? I broke Frank's nose."

He was studying me too closely. His hand shot out and pulled off my bandana before I could stop him.

"Ow, hey," I growled still quiet, despite the fact that it had probably reopened the wound.

He grabbed my chin lightly and I slapped his hand away the first time but let him have his way the second because I was tired. Tilting my face into the light he let out a slow whistle. "You really look like hell, Fangs. Lets go see if Conner can fix that. I'll be we can hide you in the lower levels until things cool down."

"No," I pulled away, although a healing would feel pretty good right at that time. Instead of going the spoiled route, I insisted, "I gotta go."

"What do you mean 'no', and go where?" he started to follow me to the door but caught sight of my note, "What's this?" His eyes flew over the paper and stared at me, "Fangs, are you nuts? Those guys are terrorists."

"I gotta go, Jake," I checked the hall and started walking.

He followed, "No, you don't. What's going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?" When I didn't answer, or stop, he grabbed my arm above the elbow, "Cougar!"

I pulled away sharply, "My face is all over the friggin' news. The cops are sittin' outside the drive way, ready ta lock me up forever. What other trouble could I be in?" Before he could answer, Amber's door opened and I whispered urgently, "Don't make me leave like this…" I took two steps to the side and pressed myself against the wall, powers up as high as I could raise them.

Amber still had the phone in her hand, but pressed the receiver into her shoulder, "Jake? Did you say 'Cougar'? Is she here?"

He hesitated then answered tightly, "No. But she _was_. She left this." He waved the note around.

"Let me see that," She held out her hand and spoke into the phone, "Frank, I gotta go." She hung up without saying good bye and read the note Jake handed her. "What the hell is this? Who's the Chosen of the Earth?"

"The guys we went up against yesterday," Jake reminded her.

"I know who they are," she snapped, "But who are they that she'd ditch us and join them?"

"I think she's in trouble," he said quietly.

"Oh, you better believe she's in trouble," Amber grumbled back, "Get the team together. We have a meeting five minutes ago." She stormed off, still grumbling.

And she used to be such a fun, peppy person…

"Fangs, you still here?" His hand reached out and I slowly moved beneath it and to the side. I matched my breathing to his. He waved around some more then gave up, "Look, Fangs," he stopped, "Cougar, if you're in something bad, you can trust me, OK?" He waited a second, then gave up and walked away, "I hope you are here and I'm not just talking to the walls…"

I waited three minutes, then left the school, passing by Joseph's office where he and Amber weren't saying nice things about me. As I passed the unmarked police car parked 'inconspicuously' outside of the Hotel, I seriously considered giving it a good hard kick, but knew all it would do for me was give me a sore toe and get their attention. I met Wolverine a couple blocks down and got into the car without a word.

"Ya run inta trouble?" he asked, pulling away from the curb.

"No," I lied.

"What happened to yer head?"

"The building I was standing next to yesterday blew up," I answer blandly.

He looked between me and the road a couple of times, "I think ya need stitches, kid."

This made me laugh a little bitterly, "Yea, just pull inta the next hospital. They'll fix me right up."

No answer to that, but after a while he asked, "Jake saw ya?" When I gave him a confused look he explained, "I can smell him on ya."

"Yea. He's kinda pissed at me," again, without much emotion. I was tired. My whole being was tired. Mind, body and spirit. I needed some sleep and coffee.

"Smells more worried than mad." We pulled into a cheap motel's parking lot, "What'd ya tell him?"

"Nothing," we got out and I matched my door shutting with his so no one would know that he brought a guest, "I didn't tell him nothing but he still covered for me when Amber almost caught me."

"Jake's a good guy," he unlocked a ground level room and motioned me in.

"Well, thanks, Logan, that makes me feel much better about lyin' to him," I rolled my eyes as I entered the dim, musty room and wrinkled my nose. "This place stinks."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

See, I told you it was really short, but next chapter is good, I promise, and I maybe could have extended this chapter, but the notebook I've been using got left at work over the weekend so I had to make due with all that I had in my first notebook. Sorry guys. But Happy New Years and all that holiday jazz is over! Right? Is it over yet?


	6. Chapter 6

**Review Replies:**

**Vballmania: **Thanks, this story's kinda getting away from me, I'm so far ahead with writing it, but posting it just seems to take FOREVER. And the house is…well…we're gutting it pretty much, so it'll be a long-lasting project. Hopefully I don't let it keep me from posting though.

**12Kirby12:** Thanks, I'm glad its still an interesting story. I'm not sure why, but I've made Amber really…grouchy…in this fic. I've got a plan for that though, a bit of a shocker, but it's pretty good. As for the others, their mostly confused, with good reason of course.

**Dusel:** I don't think I understand what you mean by saying that it's something that Xavier or Cyclops would do in San Francisco. I know basic story lines from the comics and bits and pieces from whatever I could get ahold of out here, but I'm not familiar with them in California. Or was that when they were pretending to be dead? I dunno. And don't worry about Cougar, things always turn out for the best…she's just got a rougher path than most, but those are also the funner ones, right?

**Quote:** "Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength." –August Wilson

**Chapter 6  
**Fast Forward a Bit

"_She's got a lot of blood on her.."_

"_It doesn't smell like its all hers."_

"_Good, I hope she cut those bastards up real good."_

"_She looks familiar…"_

"_She's an X-Man."_

With those words, reaching through the darkness that was me, I snapped awake. My eyes flew open; the light in the room blinded me, sending white hot spikes through my skull. I blinked rapidly to regain my vision. Blurs became shapes, then people, then women. Seven women. Seven mutant women. My hackles rose uncontrollably. Seven feral mutant women.

There are several classes of mutants based on their powers: telepaths, shape shifters, telekinetics, plasma blasters, ferals, etc. Most ferals could sense others of their kind, kind of like how telepaths could tell if there was another one of their kind in the same room. Some picked up on this more readily than others. When another feral was close by, I could feel them and, more often than not, sense their energy as dangerous or weak or scared, or whatever. Wolverine came off as dangerous, but not to the point that I felt threatened. Sabertooth came off as scary-gonna-kill-me dangerous. See the difference?

I realized that I'd been staring at nothing and thinking this over for quite some time. Slowly I sat up and looked around with warranted suspicion. A woman who looked like a white fluffy house cat, bushy tail included, sat across the room. Another woman with short black fur, a human face, panther teeth and ears stood next to her. Someone crouched near me with cat teeth and eyes like mine, no claws though. One looked normal but her eyes kept shifting into cat eyes. A girl without fur but tattooed tiger stripes and filed teeth stared curiously at me. Her teeth may have been fake, but her claws looked scarier than mine. The one who must have recognized me was a girl with cheetah patterned fur that I'd fought against with the X-Men a while back. She was with a group of ferals calling themselves 'The Pack' and being led by the son of Sabertooth. The last was a young girl, maybe 12 or 13 who looked like a normal person. She felt the same way that my friend Wolf did, making me think she was a shape shifter of some kind.

My memory felt hazy. "Is Wolf here?"

"Who?" the cheetah girl asked, confused.

"Shapeshifts into a wolf…" I became aware of a throbbing headache and a sharp pain on the back of my neck.

"We're all cats here," the tiger tattooed lady answered me.

I reached back to the source of pain and felt a small metal knob stuck into my skin. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't mess with it!" she hissed, jumping away from me. The others moved nervously to the edges of the white metal room.

I froze, "Why?"

"It's how they control us," the white cat purred, relaxing as I dropped my hand. "It sends an electric shock down our bodies if we don't obey fast enough. They told us that if we try to remove it, it'll explode."

"Perfect," I growled taking in my surroundings a little better, "Where are we?"

"No one knows for sure," Tiger-Lady shrugged, "I have the vague sense that we're south of the equator though. I'm Cara," she looked at me expectantly.

"She's Cougar," the cheetah-girl answered for me, "Cougar of the X-Men, right? Does that mean we're going to be rescued?"

I blinked slowly and shook my head, confused, "What did ya mean 'we're all cats here'? What is this place?"

"A zoo?" the panther-looking woman answered me with a shrug. She spoke with an Indian accent. "They keep collecting mutants with feline attributes. My name is Sasha, by the way. Sara called you Cougar, correct?" After my slight nod she continued, "I've been here the longest. All they've done is push food through the door. You are an X-Man?" She looked at me hopefully.

I looked down at my uniform. The X-Men emblem had been removed almost a year ago. "Not recently."

"What's that mean," the cheetah—Sara—asked hostilely, "You were last year when The Pack fought against you. So what, they're not coming?"

"I'm not with the X-Men right now, but I stole their jet right before I was…" I looked for a proper word, "Taken. So they'll probably come looking for me, yea." I raised an eyebrow at her, "What about you? No rescue from yer pack?"

She didn't seem to take offense when she answered, "They split up. Haven't seen any of them since your X-Men kicked our butts."

I grunted and looked at the room itself. Cameras in every corner, a toilet in one, too, a big metal door in the front with a slit on the bottom, presumably for food."

"So, ex-X-Man," Cara asked with an accent that sounded much like Ambers when we'd first met, "Any ideas on how to bust outta here?"

My mind flew as fast as it could, given the circumstances. None of my plans were any good, though, until I knew exactly what I was up against. Time to gather information. "What are yer names and powers and how did they capture you?"

They all hesitated a moment before the youngest piped up, "My name's Trinity. I can…shapeshift into a jaguar, or a leopard, I'm not sure which. Some men came to my home one night and were talking with my dad, but he sent me to my room. After awhile, the men came back in and took me." The kid's eyes started welling up, "And Dad told me to do what they said and they gave me a shot…And I woke up here with Sasha and Callie."

The woman with the real fangs gave the girl a sideways hug and spoke out, "I'm Callie. I've got enhanced animal-like senses and hear things that normal people can't. And I've got weird teeth," she absently touched her mouth. "I was gettingoff of work late one night," she hesitated, trying to remember the details, "I got to the parking lot and it was dark…the lights weren't working or something. I could smell the other guys coming after me…but there was one that was hiding somewhere; maybe under my car? I think they hit me with a stun gun or something. I just remember waking up here after that."

The cheetah girl went next. "My real name's Sara, but when I was running with The Pack, they all called me Spots. I was out for a walk in New Orleans, visiting some friends and a bunch of guys dove out of this alley. I just thought they were creepers, you know? So I scratched them up pretty bad, but they knocked me out with tranquilizer guns." This seemed to offend her, "Like I'm some sorta animal, you know?"

The room tsk tsk'ed. Sasha began her room quietly, "In India, some places respect mutants as people, but others view them as below the Untouchables in the old caste system. Once I began to look like this, my father sold me to a slave holder. I was bought again by a wealthy land owner who thought of mutants as exotic, especially when they were doing his house keeping or landscaping. He sold me to a group of men who put a bag over my head and told me to do as I was told. They brought me here."

The white cat started her story. "I go by the name of Puddy," she purred the name. "My only 'powers' as you call them, are my looks. I was working aat a hotel for people that…have a thing for animals. Most of the girls dress the part, but I'm in high demand there. The boss sent me to a room with a customer. We had drinks. I only remember the first one; he must have laced it with something. The next thing I remember was waking up here."

The tattooed girl laughed huskily. "Mine's the same story." Unlike Puddy who spoke softly with a slight purr, this one, Cara, spoke with a tough Bronx accent. "I strip at this place that uses mutants with weird looks to 'em. The pay's lousy, but its somethin' and you get freee food and drinks while you're there. Some guy brought me a drink and I didn't even think about Ruffies. I thought one of the bosses woulda stopped them from draggin' me out. I made them alotta money."

"What are yer powers?" I asked, filing all of this information away.

"Just the claws, I had my teeth done up like this and the tats for work. But I got this sixth sense going on. I always know what direction I'm going. That's why I think we're south of the equator. The inner compass is all messed up."

The last woman spoke, the one with the changing eyes. "I'm Leah. I'm a hsape shifter, like Trinity, but I only shift half way, like a werewolf only catty. Someone broke into my apartment one night. A man, but there could have been more. I heard a noise and woke up to see him aim what I thought was real gun at me but it was just a tranquillizer dart."

"How long have you guys been here?" I asked, mulling over the facts.

"What's the date?" Sasha asked back.

"September 23, give or take a day," I remembered what day I was captured and added a couple.

She looked shocked," I was brought here in January. The others came within two or three months."

Sara interrupted, " I was the last one to be brought here and it was like, in the beginning of May. Why such a time gap?"

"Maybe," I thought out loud, "they didn't know where ta find me."

"But they knew where to find us?" Leah asked nervously.

"One of my powers is ta go unnoticed," I explained. "Most of you guys weren't in hiding or anything. Maybe they just weren't sure where ta look for me." And , I thought to myself, if they waited that long, maybe they wanted _me_ in particular.

Just then, the door unlocked and swung open. A man, clearly on steroid, pointed a remote control into the room and ordered, "Against the wall, mutants."

Everyone obeyed, either with fear on their face or boredom. I hesitated, then followed suit. These guys knew I was Cougar, a former X-Man, and about my powers. I knew nothing about them and wouldn't if I started the game swinging.

The guard stood to the side of the door as three men came in wearing lab coats and holding clip boards. They zeroed in on me immediately. I hadn't realized that my powers had been down. Hopefully they hadn't done permanent damage. My unnoticeable-ness was a mainstay in my life.

"Well, well, well, Cougar. It seems that you've become more compliant over the years." A familiar voice slid through the doorway, followed by a man dressed in a dark business suit. "I do hope that it's not a permanent trait. I promised these men a fighter."

My eyes widened, but just a little, then narrowed to slits. "Blackstone," I spit the name out.

He smiled politely, "It's a pleasure to see you again, too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Oooh, BIG plot twist, no? I have this weird obsession with bringing all of Cougar's skeletons out of the closet. Is this a bad thing tho?


	7. Chapter 7

**Review Replies:**

7candy7: Thanks, its just good to get a review now and then to let me know that ppl are actually reading stuff.

Proud to be an X-Nerd: I was wondering where you'd gone to. Glad you're liking it thus far…and you know, I'm on chapter 7 now…I hope you're still getting alerts :D Good to see you again.

VBallMania: Yea, he wasn't really going to be planned in there and all of a sudden I was like 'Oh! Cool Plot Twist!' and so he popped in there.

12Kirby12: Naw, I think Sabertooth's out of the picture for awhile…Cougar needs some new enemies, don't you think…Blackstone and then we'll see who else she can tick off :D

Dusel: We have no comics out here…the store that used to get X-Men occasionally only has stupid ones like the Simpsons and some DC and Spiderman (those two aren't necessarily stupid, but they're not X-Men). But, yea, her bust out scene with Frank was one of my favorites to write. He's such a creeper…

**Quote:** "There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat." ~ Wesley Bates

**Chapter 7**

Back to that smelly motel room….

"Quit wincin'" Wolverine ordered me.

I quit wincing but subconsciously pulled back as the stitching needle drew closer to my forehead. He grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me back in. "Hold still."

"I'm tryin'!" I yelled back and squirmed some more.

He gave me a look and I stopped again. For a little bit.

"Damnit, Cougar," he pulled me forward again, "I'm almost done, now quit moving."

He put one more stitch and before I could move again, his phone rang. "Don't move," he hit the speaker button on his cell, "What?"

"Good evening, Logan," Emma's voice crisped through the line.

"Frost." He greeted back while returning to my last stitch.

"Am I to assume that Cougar is with you?"

"Yea."

"One of her teammates is on the phone, Ana. She insists on speaking with you. I told her I'd page you, that you were down in the Danger Room. I'll transfer the call if you're ready."

"Yea, go," to me he pointed his finger, "Keep quite."

I rolled my eyes and hopped off the skuzzy table, "No duh."

There was an audible 'click' before he could yell at me. "Yea?" He spoke toward the speaker.

"Logan? It's Ana…"

"What's up?"

I went and stretched out on the bed to listen.

"It's about Cougar…We think she's in trouble."

"Why? She missin' or something?"

"No…well, yes. She just…" Ana tried to find the right words to describe the situation I'd left them with.

Jake filled in for her, surprising me, "She was acting weird, then went and did some serious damage at this animal testing laboratory. She got herself caught on camera. I went to that lab, Logan. It was a total amateur mistake—not like her. Then she busted out of jail and left a note saying that she was joining some left-wing radical group."

"What group?" Logan played ignorant.

"Chosen of the Earth," Ana took back over the line. "We went up against them the other day."

"She let one of them get away," Jacob added. Good. I didn't think anyone had noticed that.

"You don't know that for sure," Ana snapped, "She was hurt, maybe they slipped away."

"I've never seen her let someone slip away before," he muttered back.

Wolverine brought them back to the original point, "So ya think she's up ta something?"

"No," Jake corrected, "We think she's neck deep in something."

"So what're ya callin' me for? Yer an independent team now. Get yerselves together and go get her."

There was a pause before Ana hesitantly explained, "The team is…split on this."

"What d'ya mean?" he demanded.

"Amber and Joseph are livid—"

Jake interrupted her, "No, they're pissed."

"—And Randall just goes with what they say—"

"Cuz his balls haven't dropped yet."

"Jake!" She whispered loudly, then continued, "And Conner is under the impression that she can handle whatever she takes on, assuming that she didn't just up and leave the X-Men for this new group."

Wolverine stared at the phone, "And you two aren't so sure she can?"

"Logan," Ana's voice shook a slightly, "Cougar is an X-Man through and through. These people that she's joined have no regard for human life or safety. That's not our Cougar."

We both stared at the phone for a bit before he answered, "All right. I'll see what I can find out."

"Thank you," she sighed.

"Yea. Don't thank me yet. I might find something that ya don't wanna know about."

"Speaking of that…" Jake added, "Maybe this phone call should be something that the rest of the team doesn't know about…you know?"

"If that's the way ya want it," he picked up the phone, "I'll keep ya updated," and hung up the phone. He didn't face me when he asked, "Ya all right, kid?"

"Perfect," I grumbled. "I'm goin' for a walk." He didn't try to stop me.

I walked a long way to a pay phone outside of a coffee shop. Once there, I dialed Amber's cell phone number. I'd rehearsed what I was going to say to her on the way over. She picked up after four rings.

"Hello?" She sounded stressed.

"Amber—" I couldn't get anymore out.

"Cougar?! Where the hell are you? What are you doing? Is sthis some friggin' rebellious stage or something because you were all 'farm girl' when you were a teenager?"

Where did _that_ come from? "What? No…Forget about that right now—"

"Forget about it?" she echoed me, "What the f—"

"Amber!" I yelled into the phone, "I'm not callin' about me, I'm callin' about you 'n Frank."

"Yea, that's another thing, did you really have to break his nose?"

I shook my head, "Would you just shut up for a minute? Frank's bad, ok? He's one of the bad guys." OK, so I hadn't rehearsed it quite like that…

There was a silence on the other end, then coldly, "How dare you? You just snuck out of here leaving a note that YOU were joining the bad guys. Frank is a good man, Cougar. He's working to help mutants—"

"No, he isn't," I interrupted , "He's using you."

"Cougar, you've always hated him. Why, huh? I think its about time that you quit using this feral territorial crap and tell me what your problem is."

I sighed into the receiver, "I'm just tellin' ya not ta trust him, OK?"

"Right now, I trust _him_ a hell of a lot more that I trust _you_."

Now that stung…

She continued, "Now get your ass back here so that I can figure out what the hell I'm going to do with you."

I stared into the coffee shop window, "Forget it, Crayola. You don't trust me, you don't need me. And I sure as hell don't need you." I almost hung up before she called my name out angrily. "Forget about tracin' this call, too, cuz I'm already gone." With a little too much force, I slam the phone down.

Well. This whole traitor thing seemed to be working out…

Wolverine didn't say anything when I got back. "Order a pizza," I suggested bossily, "No pepperoni. I'm takin' a shower."

He gave me a look, but remained silent. Good for him.

After I ate half a pizza and downed two bottles of Pepsi, I was given my orders.

Logan pulled out a map and unfolded it across the tiny table. It was a Denver city map with the surrounding mountains. He pointed to a hiking trail that branched off of a main dirt road. "Take this for about three miles. You'll come ta a 'No Hunting' sign," he explained. "Keep goin' for about twenty more yards. On yer left there'll be a light foot path. Follow that up the hill and it'll eventually lead ya to an old farmhouse. That's where they're camped out."

I frowned, still studying the map, "What do I do? Knock on the door and say 'hi, can I come play with you?'"

"Try not ta use the word 'play'," he replied straight faced, "They might find it insultin'."

I shook my head with a slight smile. Weird old man.

Seriously he answered me,"Just offer 'em yer services. Don't tell 'em too much but be willing ta answer their questions."

"All right. When am I doin' this?"

"Right now."

Great, since I was all bloated from pizza and pop, hiking the mountains should have been wonderful… "How far will ya take me?"

"To the head of the trail. I can't stop, though, incase their watchin' it."

I thought that over for a second before groaning, "Yer gonna make me jump outta a movin' car."

"You got training on how ta do it right," he wasn't sympathetic.

"Don't mea I like doin' it," I growled.

He assured me, "You'll be fine, kid."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I hit a rock when I hit the ground. A big rock. It hurt. I cursed at the tail lights that were moving farther and farther away.

Dusting myself off, I gathered my bearings, located my trail and started up the mountains. I hate trees, due to a week spent deliriously running through the Canadian forests while being hunted by the psycho mutants Sabertooth. I went to summer camp before I was a mutant you know. Just a normal kid. Far from it now, huh?

I passed the No Hunting sign and found the foot path. After about twenty minutes on that, I came upon the old farmhouse.

From the brush that was creeping in on the homestead, I crouched and watched for signs of a guard. There didn't appear to be any. Silent as my namesake, I crept up to the log walls and listened. I couldn't hear quite well enough to know what they were saying, but they sounded happy. I kept creeping along until I got to the door, hesitated, then stood up straight and knocked three times.

Laughter stopped abruptly. I took a slight step back as the door swung open. The leader of the group took a wide, dominating stance in the doorway and demanded, "Who are you?"

"My name's Cougar," I answered evenly, not too submissive, but not too dominant as to step on the alpha dog's toes, "And I've got a proposition for ya."

He looked me over. Just looking at my size, I'm not too impressive; 5'3", 115 pounds. But I'm trim and fit and I subconsciously keep a fighters stance. My uniform covers my body, skin tight for maneuverability, black to help me blend in with a belt draped across my hips with tools and a formidable looking hunting knife. Because I'm not comfortable running around in such attire, I wear a black trench coat over the get up and keep more weapons and gizmos in that. With my mouth closed, you couldn't see my inhumanly sharp teeth, but I've been told that my eyes tend to draw people's attention up anyway. My golden cat eyes…There's no way to make my claws appear less threatening, though. Thick and curved inward, I had to wear black biking gloves to keep them from digging into my own flesh when I made a fist.

He did another head to toe look over, and the breeze came up behind me, blowing my dark, loose hair around my face. I continued to stand.

"My guard didn't inform me of your approach," he finally said.

"Cougar's are known for having their presence _un_known," I retarted.

The breeze grew stronger, but I ignored it as he narrowed his eyes, "You can't sneak up on the wind."

"I wasn't sneaking."

He looked annoyed but said, "Come in and tell me your proposition."

I was barely in the door before I was surrounded.

"How did you find us?" one demanded, a girl, standing in the back shadows.

"Lucky guess."

The water witch asked next, "How did you get away from the police?" she spoke with a thick Asian accent.

"Picked the lock on my cuffs and broke a detective's nose."

"Why are you here?" Someone else asked from behind me.

It took a lot from me not to turn and look, but I kept my eyes on Daniel. "I'm here ta make ya an offer."

He looked righteously around him, then commanded, "Then make the offer that was important enough to risk your life for."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Oh please…Instead, I recited the thought over lines, "I've come ta offer you my services to your cause."

He sneered, "And what cause do you think that is?"

I don't miss a beat, "Stopping people from further abusing and ultimately destroying our Mother Earth."

Grandly, he gestured to the people around me, "We've all been chosen by the Mother Earth, given the gifts that she possesses. What has the Mother bestowed upon you?"

Oh…OK, I wasn't quite ready for that one. Quickly I thought, "Well, look at me?" I held out my clawed hands, palms up, "I look like one of her animals. I've been caged like a zoo pet and prodded like cattle into forced services. I've escaped and lived with the wild land, completely at peace until I was enslaved again for my gifts. I know what its like to be just another animal out there." It looked like I was losing their interest… "So, I've decided to stop similar treatment to my sisters and brothers. Whether people like it or not."

The blonde that I let go earlier spoke up, "You attacked that animal testing lab earlier this week, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"That doesn't make her one of us," the guy who could move dirt objected.

"She could have been sent by the police," the Asian woman accused, "She could have lead them straight to us."

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment before stating, "The wind doesn't detect anyone."

"The wind didn't detect her—" the woman was silenced by a dark look from her leader.

"She wouldn't work for the cops," a man spoke up from behind me, "But she _is_ an X-Man."

I frowned slightly, a twinge of something that I should have remembered surfaced from the depths of my mind and disappeared again. "Was." I corrected, ignoring the thought and turning for the first time. "I was and X-Man. I handed in my uniform." I spoke to a man with dark, almost black hair and a goatee.

He smirked at me, "At peace with the land, huh? You were starving in a cave."

Memory clicked into place. Jaw dropped open. "Jason?" I didn't know whether to step forward to greet him like an old friend or back and be cautious because the last time that I had seen him, he hated me. "Rocky?" I asked, still confused.

His smirk faded to embarrassment as he explained, "Yea…I don't really go by that name anymore…"

"Excuse me for breaking up your reunion," Daniel interrupted, clearly annoyed for not being the center of attention. "Jason, would you care to explain? Old girlfriend?"

"No," he hesitated a moment. "We both trained under Magneto in the Brotherhood when we were teenagers…"

Wow. That seemed so long ago. I felt old.

"You were trained by the Brotherhood? Like _the_ Brotherhood of Mutants? Under Magneto?" Kim asked in disbelief, "And you never told us?"

"Jason," the dirt guy started, Russell, that was his name, "We try to be open here. We don't hide things from one another."

My very-long-time-ago-teammate's face stayed neutral as he explained, "I don't really lke to talk about it. I wasn't hiding it from you guys."

I glanced around the room. Awkward-ness….

"Well, _Rocky_," Daniel decided, "Is she trustworthy?"

He didn't hesitate, "She's never lied before. She's always held firm in her beliefs, too."

I turned with everyone else to look at the leader as he said, "You can stay on a trial basis."

Alice, the water lady, gave me a dirty look, going ignored.

"However," he continued, "You are nowhere near trustworthy enough to be allowed to stay at our home. Once you've been initiated, then you may stay."

Oh, good. I didn't really want to spend the night with a bunch of over-zealous nut jobs. I shrugged, "Understandable. But I did walk from town to here, so it'd be cool if someone could maybe give me a ride back down?" Bonding time with a new teammate.

They exchanged looks before Jason offered, "I'll give you a ride."

"Thanks," I followed him out of the tense, one-room house.

"Need a flashlight?" he asked, pulling a keychain one out of his pocket.

"Naw, cat eyes," I reminded him.

"Yea, that's right…" he was quiet as we started down the path. He broke the silence with, "So were you immune to Xavier's telepathy?"

"What?" I stopped, confused.

"That mission we were supposed to go on for Eric. You were supposed to be immune from telepaths. Were you?"

We started again," Most of them can't pick me up. Even Xavier couldn't sense me in a room unless he knew I was actually there first. Jean Grey was like that, too. And another powerful telepath out there, I can't remember who it was. But most of them can't get a bead on me. Xavier worked with me building up psychic shields. Apparently I can block even him out now."

"Does he still lead the X-Men?"

I grew suspicious that he was testing my claim of leaving the team. "No. Last I heard he was traveling the world for peace talks or something. Cyclops and Emma Frost are in charge now."

"Wow, the White Queen. They'll take anyone now days, huh?"

I changed the subject suddenly, "What happened ta you, Jason?"

He concentrated on his footing for a minute, "You mean after I escaped from Xavier's school?"

"Yea."

"I went back to Magneto, but things were…different. He was surprised to see me, like he'd forgotten about me all ready. Then he was convinced that I'd turned him into the X-Men. He didn't really trust me after that. I left after a couple weeks when he made plans to kill a bunch of people, including some little kids."

"So ya did have a conscious back then."

"Heh," he laughed a little, "I was a little too eager back then, wasn't I?"

"What'd ya do next?" I avoided his question with one of my own.

"Uh…just kind of traveled, doing odd jobs here or there. Mutant or not, people were willing to pay me for work that normal people couldn't do. I got real good at knocking down old buildings."

I grunted at the comment. "How'd ya get involved with these guys. Ya never really seemed all that environmentally aware before."

He concentrated a little too much on his feet while answering me, "Well, like I said, I did a lot of odd jobs; some of them included toxic wastes. I didn't like what those people were doing. I heard of these guys and met up with them at a protest against my chemical company. I've only been with them for a couple of weeks."

We got to the road and he uncovered the SUV from under a camo tarp. Most of the ride was quiet. I didn't know what he was contemplating, but I'd gotten the feeling that he was lying about something. It made me that much more paranoid.

As we neared the lights of the city he asked, "SO where are you staying?"

"Uhm…" I stalled, "I don't really know yet. I've just been staying on the streets mostly."

He laughed at that. "You used to be a county girl and now you're a street rat?"

"yea," I replied dryly, "Life's grand, aint it?" I had nhim drop me off a few blocks from where Wolverine was stying.

"Herehe got a sticky note from the dash and scribbled something onto it. "Call my number at noon tomorrow. We'll meet you wherever and then we have another building to destroy." He made it sound so…normal.

"What building?" I asked and glanced at the slip. A number then he'd scrawled, 'They're watching you.'. Can we say creepy? I didn't comment on it.

"We can't tell you yet," he shrugged. "Gotta earn their trust."

I nodded and opened the door, "See ya tomorrow, then.

I watched him drive off, then put his number into my phone. I ripped off the warning note and slinked around to motel that Logan was staying at. Without breaking stride, I passed by his room, b ut lightly trailed my claws across the door. The note floated to the ground infront of it. I barely glanced back when he opened the door, sniffed around and discreetly dragged the note in with his foot. Ooh, aint we sneaky? I doubted the CoE would be able to track me anyway. A grin spread across my face at the thought of the challenge as I stalked through my city.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK guys. Long one, right? I got a question for ya. I can either finish this one up with her being all captive and stuff, or I can expand this one and write a forth centered around he being captured. Its up to you if you want that part to be solved now or not. Lemme know. Sorry for the delays, but I appreciate reviews. :D


	8. Chapter 8

**Review Replies:**

Dipsey: Woot! New Reviewer! New Reviewers get a WOOT! Thanks.

Lady Q: Well not too helpful, but that's ok, any review is a good one.

Dryad Mage: Yea, sorry, been uber-busy as-of-late, but no worries, its still being written, so it WILL be posted.. just not always in a timely manner. And it would have been way too long and wandering if I'd made it one story. I don't like wandering stories.

Wolfy: I got bored. I WAS going to take your advice, since, technically, you were the only one that said what I should, but I was writing it and then I got sick of it, so I'm just gonna finish this one the way it was and scrap the six or so pages that I had written, cuz that'd be to complicated. Oh well. How's Bismarck? Imma call you tonite or tomorrow, k? CUSoon.

**Quote (High rated for strong language):**

Callie (preparing pizza for her 3 year old twins): We're gonna have pepperoni pizza for supper boys!  
Gavin: Me wants a pepperoni!  
Callie: It's not cooked yet.  
Gabriel: Me wants a pepperoni too!  
Callie: Gotta wait till its cooked, buddy.  
Gabriel (walking away): Fuck.

-- Indication that its time to start watching what you're saying infront of your babies….

**Chapter 8**

The building was a factory, with large concrete smoke stacks that spewed fumes and vapors into the air and a dam that channeled a natural stream for both a dumping area (all barely within EPA regulations) and to cool their machinery. The heated water was put back into the water source, but was too warm to support an ecosystem. My new teammates wasted no time in crumbling one of the colums of cement that was leaking the smoke.

My eleven team members now had names, faces and a list of powers:

Daniel: Leader, controlled the wind

Kim: Advisor, created and controlled fire

Russell: Advisor, soil manipulation

Alice: Advisor, water control

Peter: Official, communicated with trees

Angelo: Official, magma manipulation

Jason: We all know HIM…turns to stone

Micah: Can vaporize

Sherilynn: Summons precipitation

Donna Jean: Shape shifts into a sparrow

Elizabeth: Controls swarms of insects

Moments after the smoke stack fell, Alice concentrated her skills on channeling the heated water back into the factory, bursting pipes and flooding engines. Alarms blared and workers poured out of doors and windows, coughing from the cement dust that was thickening the air. Daniel was keeping that away from us, so I was good. As the crowd gathered, he began to posture arrogantly, reminding me of so many of the radical extremist bad guys.

The wind whipped around, raising him into the air. Russell rose up on a column of dirt, not so high as the leader, I noted. Alice did like wise with water and Kim stood before her with tendrils of fire snaking around her. The scene looked slightly cheesy, but still pulled off threatening.

"WE are the Chosen of the Earth," Daniel began his spiel toward the crowd. "Your factory has been harming our Mother. You've been ordered to cease and have ignored our warnings. For this you must be punished."

A man in a suit spoke up, "You're that yahoo who called the other day," he pointed angrily at us. "You freaks better run, we've got the cops coming!"

Our fearless leader laughed, "Good. We shall punish them, also, for ignoring your wrong doings."

He needed to work on his speeches…

I heard the sirens. A lot of sirens. The cops were playing hard ball now. They formed a semi-circle around us and all of them crouched behind open doors and vehicles, guns trained on us.

Again, Daniel laughed and, with a wave of his had, ordered, "Angelo, Elizabeth, keep them occupied while we deal with the others."

I had decided immediately that I disliked Angelo. He had a mean streak or something. You could just tell that he was the boy that would pull the legs off bugs just to watch them struggle. He grinned as the earth wretched out liquid magma. Under his control, it covered the police vehicles, igniting fires and explosions and sending officers running for cover.

Elizabeth, with her weird little butterfly wings protruding from her shoulder blades, performed an intricate dance, summoning swarms of wasps and directing them toward the marooned cops.

The four leaders began their like chaos fest on the workers; hurricane winds, wild dirt, water and fire everywhere.

This was all very cool and everything, but six of us were standing around twiddling our thumbs. The team lacked a competent leader that could utilize every skill, or even give out orders…

A familiar whine caught my attention and I looked up to the darkened sky. "Heads up!" I warned, spotting the X-Jet. My stomach kntotted.

More police, a swat team and the mutant task force arrived and ran up with my teammates. Former teammates, my bad.

A familiar blue force field bubbled over the cowering workers. Vines, trees and grasses shot out of the ground, twisting around the CoE members. Not me, of course. I hadn't been noticed yet.

"Peter," Daniel struggled calmly with a vine, "Discuss with this vegetation what it's being used for."

The attack stopped. Dragon was powerless. But he was an X-Man, so he was a far cry from helpless. He joined Jake and stopwatch on the field.

"The other smoke stack!" Daniel ordered Russell.

Everyone on the ground pitched over as the earth rolled and shook. The massive concrete form cracked and groaned and slowly began to topple toward the crowd of frozen-in-fear workers. From where I was standing, I could hear Stopwatch grunt from the strain of freezing such an enormous object, but he succeeded in stopping the brunt of it. Ana's force field held off the remaining chunks from the employees.

Crayola held her hands up, allowing Randall to ease up a little. Loudly she ordered, "Get those people out of there!"

I realized that I should have been more concerned with my new team. Like a ghost, I floated around the fight, pulling cops off of the bug girl, disarming more before they started opening fire. The Mutant task force threw in tear gas. Dumb move. The winds shifted, blowing it back on them. I watched Angelo get tazered before I saved him from the SWAT guy. Oops, just a little too slow… It wasn't until I punched out some dude sneaking up on Kim that I got any recognition for my hard work.

"Dang, Cougar," Jason called out, "Girls really Do kick ass!"

Yea, that drew the attention of my former teammates…

Dragon was the closest to me. "Cougar, get in the jet, we're taking you home."

I ignored him, being busy fending off a billy club. I leaned back once and felt it whiz by, then twice without it even coming close. The cop got mad; hot heads only work if you know how to use them. He didn't, clearly, as he screamed wordlessly and waved the stick around in a frustrated panic. I blocked a hit with one arm and wretched it away with my other hand. I didn't have much training with those things, but cracking him upside the head seemed to do the trick.

"Hey," someone grabbed my arm and I swung the club back.

Dragon blocked it, "I said get into the jet. This little defiant hissy fit of yours has gone far enough." He tried to pull me toward the plane.

"Excuse me?" I dug my heels into the freshly upturned soil.

"Is this some stupid cry for attention? Huh? What happened to all that crap you fed me about being an X-Man?"

"I go unnoticed. I don't LIKE attention, stupid," I pulled free of his grip, "And any part of you that touches me again is getting returned in bloody condition." I let my anger and dislike of him seep to the surface.

More of y team gathered, Ana, Conner and Jake with Crayola close behind. The cops were clearing out. The workers were safe, so they figured they'd let the mutants just destroy eachother.

"Cougar, what's wrong?" Ana asked.

I couldn't answer because Dragon spoke above her, "We trained together, Cougar. I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be," Jason came up behind me. "Not all of her training was with you X-Men." More of the CoE came to back me up.

"That," Crayola warned me, "Had better not be who I think it is…"

Ana looked like she was about to cry, "Cougar…no…"

Conner shook his head at me with a confused look.

Jake looked around confused too, "Who is he?"

"His name was Rocky," Joseph glared at me, "They worked for Magneto together."

I glared back wordlessly. I never worked for Magneto. I was used by him when I was still a kid and had to run away from him and join the X-Men just to be safe. But I didn't say this. Apparently, despite having explained myself to them ore than once, that was how they felt about me. Nice.

Daniel interrupted the tension, "Chosen Ones, we've accomplished what we've come to do. We must leave now."

"Cougar, Amber called to me, "Get in the jet, or you won't be welcomed back."

I tilted my head and looked up at her before answering flippantly, "See ya."

"Cougar!" she yelled at my turned back as I left with the others.

"Lets go," Danile urged us, starting to run.

Haphazardly we piled into the SUV and he sped away.

It was quiet for a second before the leader looked through the rearview mirror at me, "You did good out there, Cougar. I lost count of how many law enforcement you took down."

He took my silence as a cue to continue, "And you passed the test with your former teammates. I thought they would have talked you back into rejoining them."

"The X-Men fight for world peace," I explained, "But what good is that without a world itself?"

"Good point," he smiled at my words, not knowing that I thought up that line last night.

Noticing the tension within the vehicle, I looked around. Kim was crying silently. Alice was glaring out the window. No one else made eye contact. "We're missing someone," I noted out lout.

"Donna Jean," Jason answered me.

"We'll discuss it when we get back to the farm house," Russell silenced us.

I nodded and stared out the window, trying not to think of the hurt look in some of the X-Men's eyes…or the lack of it in others.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"We have to rescue her!" Alice yelled above the discussion.

"We KNOW that," Micah shouted back, "What we need to know is HOW."

"Can you vaporize her out?" Jason asked him.

He shook his head, "Only myself."

"Someone was supposed to be watching her back," Angelo accused while glaring pointedly at Elizabeth.

"You're the big hot shot," she snapped back, "Why weren't you?"

"I wasn't paired with her," he pointed out hotly. "Kim's not locked up right now, is she?"

I had saved Kim twice during the fight. Angelo wasn't the best partner to be paired with, but I held my tongue.

"She should be able to get herself out," Russell added to the noise. "She shifts into a sparrow. That's small enough to escape."

"They have collars there," I contributed from my little corner of the room.

Angelo sneered at me like I was dense, "Collars have been banned for over a year."

I stared back, "Ya think that matters, buddy?"

We stared off for a couple of seconds before Daniel decided, "We'll take the whole place down."

His game plan, phrase used lightly, seemed to excite some, but worry the rest. There'd be no telling how many people that lunatic would kill and I wanted no part in that. Thinking quickly, I decided upon my objection, "You don't want to take down the cops."

Angelo snorted, "Why the hell not?"

I didn't bother to look at him, but answered his question nonetheless toward Daniel, "Think PR. This group is assembled to protect the earth. That's why we have our powers. That's what we're here for. I know I'm a newbie and everything, but from what I've picked up, we're not trying to wipe out the world's population. We want everyone to understand what we're doing and why its so important. We want EVERYONE to be on our side."

The group looked from me to him, "And this effects us how?"

"Right now, we're viewed as environmental extremists. If we destroy the police, people who aren't harming the environment, we're dropped down on the list. We'd be no more than terrorists. And no one wants to rally behind the leader of terrorists."

Long winded speech but it did the trick.

He thought about it, then surprised me by asking, "So what do you suggest?" He wasn't being snide or sarcastic, he was just asking for my held. Chink in his armor: Daniel was great at posturing and demanding respect, but his actual leadership skills sucked. It was probably why he needed so many advisors.

Speaking of which, Alice gave him a look of disbelief, "You aren't seriously asking for her input. She's not even one of us yet."

He glared at her, "She's proven herself."

Russell added thoughtfully, "And she does have experience with this sort of thing.

The woman kept her mouth closed but kept giving me heated looks. Everyone else turned to me.

I blinked, looked around and finally turned to Jason. A plan formed in my mind as I asked, "You still remember that Cerebro mission for Magneto?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

K, so here, and I'm trying to get more faster! R&R and enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

**Review Replies:**

Emmy: Thanks! I'm trying to post faster, really. And I barely have time for this, but I think a book would be fun, yea...

Dipsey: I'm glad you like and here's lots of answers.

Proud to be an X-Nerd:  hey, I was wondering what happened to you. I know, I'm slow, but I got a new job that I have most fridays off, so lotsa posting form now on maybe?

Dusel: LOL, I like your version of fun. I was thinking about mainstream stuff, but I wouldnt wanna mess it up or anything. I dunno. And theres kinda stories within stories in this fic. Sorry bout that but I got lotsa stuff bouncing around in my brain sometimes. Maybe more direction after this chapter.

Lady Q: Your welcome, and this one's so long, I dont think you'll get through it that fast :D

**Quote: ** "If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster." Clint Eastwood.

**Chapter 9**

There were modifications to the original mission, of course. Rocky would come with me as far as he could; he'd be my muscle so that I wouldn't get caught up in a fight. Micah would come with us too, in vapor form, and take point, falling back to tell us of any trouble up ahead. Everyone else would be a distraction at the front.

I stopped at an electronics store and picked up some walkie talkies with headsets. They were pretty primitive compared to what I was used to, but it would keep communications open while allowing me to sneak around without having them blab out loud over the air.

I hadn't had the chance to call and inform Wolverine about the plan. Hopefully it wouldn't be an issue. We'd either get the bird girl out and I'd be even more accepted into the group or we'd all get caught, disassembling the group and making this whole covert mission thing done and over with. The only problem was that I had no way of predicting how much damage would be caused by either end result.

The main distraction was out front. I suggested something fairly big to get everyone's attention. They started by tearing up the street. This provided Russel with some dirt, Angelo with easier access to underground magma and Alice water from destroyed pipes. Sherilynn made it blizzard, blinding the police men and providing cover for my team to get around the building.

Micah's form disintegrated before me and was replaced by a shapeless patch of what looked like fog. The fog floated away while Jason and I crept along the building, keeping as much to the shadows as possible. Guns could be heard from out front, along with shouting and the wind. I tried not to be worried about what they were doing that would cause so much screaming.

I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Jason was still there and when I turned back, Micah had materialized inches from my face, making me gasp.

"Five cops, two dogs, coming around the corner fast," he whispered urgently.

I cursed under my breath and pressed against the wall. Jason dropped to the ground and curled up, looking like an ornamental boulder. Micah looked at me expectantly. "Vaporize!" I hissed. Stupid rookies...He did so just as the party came into view.

They almost passed without incident, but one of the dogs picked up my scent, barking and lunging in our direction. "Keep going," Jason whispered, standing up. He both startled the cops and diverted the dogs attention from my scent to his form.

"Freeze!"

"Hands on you head!"

"Get on the ground!"

They all yelled different commands.

"Move it, misty," I ordered, slipping away from the confrontation.

Around the corner, Micah's form became solid again. "Don't call me that," he sounded offended.

I didn't stop moving. Trivial stuff. Get over it. I didn't stop moving when I heard the gun shots either, or the screams. Misty, I mean Micah, almost back tracked at the sound. I grabbed a hold of his arm and kept us moving forward. "Bullets don't hurt rocks, but they can ricochet off of them." He understood.

I think we could have walked through any door, but I was always overly cautious. We broke a window leading into the basement and entered that way. I remembered the way to the jail area. We had no problems getting that far.

The cell area was chaos. Everyone was going nuts, yelling, bashing into the bars, trying to get out. I believed that some of those people were there for good reasons, but in case the building did go down, I didn't want to be responsible for their deaths. I found the emergency switch at the guards post and opened all the doors.

"Stay out of the way," I warned Micah as I pressed myself against the wall and a crowd of prisoners ran by. Donna Jean was the last to emerge. Micah ran ahead of me to her, excited to be rescuing the damsel in distress, but I kept an eye on our only escape route.

The girl whined annoyingly, "They put a collar on me! Micah, our gifts were given to us by the Mother Earth, mutant collars shouldn't take them away!"

I turned away to roll my eyes. Pewter sure had them brain washed. I turned back in time to see Micah try to remove the offensive object, "NO!" I jumped at him, knocking his hands away, "Are you stupid?

Those things are rigged to explode if they're tampered with!"

The man looked righteously down at me, "We are the Chosen of the Earth. We do not wear collars like _dogs_."

I let a growl out, "Then let me leave before ya blow yer arms off 'n repaint the room with brain matter."

"How do I get it off?" she asked in a scared voice.

"A key, or a remote control. The guard station should have it. Lets go," I took the lead again.

It didn't take much scrounging to find the remote. One of the original collars, probably why no one knew the jail had it, there were only three buttons: release, discipline and detonate. Donna Jean sighed and rubbed her neck after I'd released it. "Come on," I urged, when they dawdled behind me. Jeeze, these guys had no idea what a quick mission meant: Get in and Get out.

We made it pretty far. I mean, it was a lot farther than I'd expected. But they had figured out our objective. Footsteps, running, hit my ears and I stopped dead, holding my hands to either side and stopping the others too.

"Wha--" Micah started.

"Shh," I shushed him right before a cop could be heard.

"Its a prison break, I'm telling you. Those are the freaks that were with the new mutant. Wick recognized them." They were close.

I turned to the others, "Vaporize. Shift. Get out of here."

"What about--"

"Go!" I hissed, irritated that they can't just obey. They did right as the cops rounded the corner.

"Cripes!" the first drew his gun, "You were right!"

I dropped to the floor and slid up tight against the wall, covering my ears as they opened fire on a patch of fog and a zig zagging sparrow. They turned to follow, not registering me.

Lunging from my spot, I swiped the legs out from under the closest man. That got both their attentions. As he fell, I lept forward and wrenched his gun away. He didn't like that part.

"Shoot her! Shoot her!" he yelped as I literally dodged the bullet(s) and took off the way that I'd come.

I stopped at a blind corner and slid to the ground, quieting my breathing to wait. A moment later, a gun came to view above my head as the armed cop checked the armed cop checked the hall. I bolted up and snatched it away too. Next my fist landed a blow to his jaw, knocking him to his butt. The other cop tripped over him. OK, are these rookies or what? I stood in the middle of the hall and snarled at them.

"You're under arrest," one said, completely lacking bravado.

My mind remembered the hallways, windows and doors and I got the escape route figured. Slowly I reached into a pocket and pulled out an electronic smoke bomb. "Sorry, guys," I flipped the top open and pressed the button, "Maybe next time."

It started smoking in my hand, making a lovely spiral effect as I hurled it through the air. As their eyes fixated on that, I darted away. I would have just went through my planned escape route and gone to join the chaos,but one of their words stopped me.

"Get [cough] Wick!"

OK, so that was two words, three if you count the cough.

They ran through the smoke and past me to a door that I hadn't noticed on my previous visit. Curiosity killed the cat. I followed.

They continued coughing as I stalked them, "That's the one he was after."

"The one he said to kill?"

"Yea. He's gonna be pissed you missed, man."

This raised my eyebrows. Wick wanted me dead...I guess when I was done with my current mission, I'd just have to make him and his little camp my next one. They lead me to Wick, but he was with my old team. I held back, still within earshot.

"Sir! The mutant who escaped the other day is here. She sprung the new one."

Frank glanced from them to Amber.

My former leader closed her eyes and sighed.

"We figured she'd be here, Crayola," Dragon reminded her. "She chose her side. Does it really surprise you?"

"Hey, watch it," Jake warned him.

Dragon turned on him angrily, "Cougar's a loose cannon, and you know it. She does what she wants, when she wants to and to hell with others or her team. She's always been like that."

"I'm telling you," Jake insisted, "Something's up if she's on the wrong side."

"Read her file," Randall sneered, "She joined the X-Men on the wrong side; what does that tell _you_?"

I suppressed a growl.

"Stopwatch is right," Dragon shrugged indifferently, "She worked for Magneto. She worked for mutant slavers. Maybe these people have something on her that we don't know about. But she still made the decision to join them instead of coming to us for help."

"Well maybe it's because you guys are all a little too judgmental, huh?" Jake snapped, "Maybe you should try listening to her side of the story every once in awhile. You might be surprised."

"Oh please," the other man rolled his eyes exaggeratly, "Just because you guys go beat up people in the middle of the night doesn't make her noble. She just needs an outlet for her violence."

"What the hell do you know?" Jake yelled.

"Guys..." Ana tried to step in between the two. I hadn't noticed how close they were getting to each other. Male ego crap. I could make this into a documentary...

"What do _you_ know?" Dragon kept going, "You've only been here for a few months. We know what she's capable of. We've known her for years."

"Yea, that's the problem," Jake shook his head and pointed a finger at him, "You should know better." He turned on his heel and walked off, away from the X-Jet.

"Jake!" Dragon yelled after him.

"Let him go," Crayola ordered, apparently making a decision while the argument was going on She looked from Frank, who gave her shoulder a 'loving pat', to the team. "We protect the building and apprehend any CoE members."

"Including Cougar?" Randall asked, suddenly sounding nervous. I think I scare him...

She hesitated a split second before answering with conviction, "Especially Cougar."

"Crayola," Blast spoke up, "I'm opting out of this mission."

Conner gave her a sympathetic look, "Dragon's right, hon, she made her choice."

Ana frowned at him, "I don't believe she did," she looked back at her best friend, "I'm opting out."

Amber nodded, "Allright, anyone else?" She looked around at the remaining team, but especially Conner.

No one spoke up.

"Ok, lets go, people," she ordered then turned to Ana, "Please keep the jet ready."

They all ran off to the main battle. I sat down heavily in the grass and watched Ana slowly board the jet. I guess I just didn't figure on my team to turn their backs on me so easily. I mean, Dragon's always disliked me, so I figured he would. Randall, Stopwatch, was a total sheep when it came to, well, anything. But I didn't expect Amber's reaction, or Conner's. Ana was one of the most loyal people in the world, so I knew she'd stick with me. Jake was kind of a surprise, though. Sure he'd been checking the streets with me at night a lot, but we'd only been working together for a couple months.

I shook off the betrayal; that was the point of this mission, after all, wasn't it? Getting up off the dewy grass, I headed toward the fight. We'd gotten Donna Jean out; the objective had been met and it was time to retreat. The X-Men may have had the orders to capture and detain, but I knew that those cops were aiming to kill.

Coming upon the scene for the first time made on stop and stare in awe. Cops duking it out with the forces of nature under the command of self-righteous zealots. But it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, so I just jumped in where I could, making my way toward Daniel. I'd just disarmed a police officer of the Mutant Task Force when I got the sudden urge to turn around.

Hey, look, Dragon. Yippee.

"Cougar, you're not going to win this."

"Win what? What 'this'?" I tossed the apprehended fire arm into the closest pool of lava without taking my eyes off of him.

He shook his head at my nonchalant-ness, "We both know you've gone far enough..."

I smirked a little, not being able to help myself. I wasn't being cocky, I just knew that I would win against him. All of my training stats were higher than his. He was always gung-ho about training and everything, but he did it to look like a good team leader, to please Cyclops. But I had more training and more practice than him by far. He trained with his powers more often than not, and now he was without them. I had no active powers to train with, there fore, was always training hand-to-hand. See where I'm going with this? I was totally going to kick his butt.

I cocked my head to the side, "Ya sure ya wanna go this route?"

He answered my question by attacking. I blocked and countered. He countered as I attacked as he countered. Surprise! I won the first blow with an elbow to his face. His nose started to bleed.

"Well, that actually felt better than I thought it would," I piped, catching his fist and using his momentum to foot sweep him. The throw wasn't executed, he broke free, but not to worry, I followed through with some high kicks and a low one that landed below the belt.

His eyes widened and the air rushed from his lungs. Wanna get a guy to his knees, just know where to aim.

I stood and waited for him to recover. Even playing the bad guy, I won't hit a man while he's down. I was focused on Joseph; on his ragged breathing, his clenching fists, his oh-so-pissed eyes. I didn't hear the gunshot, but I did hear the scream.

I broke the rules of the fight and pulled my attention from my opponent to the commotion.

It took a second to see past the battle field. Kim had crossed the invisible line made by the two sides. She'd gone too far to be protected from the bullets. From a distance, I saw her drop to her knees.

"Kim!" Alice screamed again, trying to make her way across the line.

I took off at a dead sprint toward the girl who was face down in the dirt. As the CoE fought to get to their comrade, I fell down beside her, having not been noticed on my bee-line path.

"Kim?" I spoke loudly and turned her over. She gasped and I jumped a little. Blood ran out of her mouth. Her eyes were unfocused and she gasped again.

The fight melted away from me as my stomach tightened. She'd been shot in the chest, was gushing blood from the wound and was struggling to breathe. I fumbled for a pulse and screamed, "Medic!" without thinking.

My vision blurred and my breath grew rapid. Maybe subconsciously trying to compensate for what she wasn't getting. "Medic!" I yelled again, looking around.

"Cougar?" Kim asked weakly, then gasped again from the effort.

"Hold on, OK?" I tried to assure her, "Someone's coming to help, OK? OK Kim? Yer gonna be OK..."

"But...we can't...die..." She looked confused then closed her eyes.

"Kim!" I shook her slightly as Conner came up beside us.

"Cougar..." he actually seemed torn between orders and saving a person.

"Heal her," I turned on him angrily and wiped at my eyes with my bloody hands. "Heal her and I'll go with you."

He dropped to his knees, holding his glowing hands above her wounds. It wasn't gushing blood anymore. He dropped his hands to his knees. "I...I can't Cougar. I'm sorry..." he looked over at me.

I stood up, feeling sick, "I said I'd go with you, just heal her."

"Cougar, she's already gone," he shook his head sympathetically. "I'm sorry but I can't--"

"You healed me from the dead, Conner," I shouted at him, "You healed me, now heal her." I pointed at the girl without looking at her.

"That was different," he stayed on his knees and tried to explain.

I looked around. The CoE were trying so hard to get there, for nothing. Nothing they could do. Joseph tried to sneak up behind me. Split decision: rely on the instincts. I bolted.

He tried to chase me but he was running after me; I was running from the world. You run a lot faster that way.

"This was your mission, Cougar!" he shouted at my back, "This is on you!"

He stopped running. I couldn't, I just kept pounding my feet against the still shaking ground. "Fall back!" I ordered into my walkie-talkie set. "Kim's gone. Fall back now."

I got angry answers.

"Rocky, make them retreat. Out." I ordered, then pulled off the headset and flung it to the ground.

I just kept running.

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OK guys, I was going to stop it here, BUT I'm going to be nice and answer some questions for you by making this a REALLY long chapter. Is that OK with you? Thought so. I expect mucho reviews...

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I ran all the way to our meeting spot. We'd planned to retreat in pairs and regroup at an old gas station that had been boarded up years ago. When I got there a window had been busted out and a corner of the plywood had been jaggedly broken off..

The SUV was parked in the back. I waited to catch my breath and throw up before heading toward the entrance. My track phone vibrated as I continued to pant. I opened it and listened.

Wolverine's voice came through the line, "It wasn't yer fault, kid--"

I snapped the phone closed and hurled it into the over-grown bushes. Taking a deep breath, I crawled through the opening.

People make it sound like there's a set pattern to the steps of grief. If that was so, there were some who simply took the steps two at a time.

Angelo was trashing the store angrily.

Sherilynn was crying with Elizabeth in the corner.

Russel was rationalizing with anyone who would listen, "She can't be gone, I mean, she's a Chosen One. The Mother Earth wouldn't allow it..."

Peter looked like he was praying.

Micah was holding back tears.

Jason looked tired.

Alice looked vengeful, but clearly on the verge of breaking down.

Donna Jean was wailing that it was her fault.

I saw Daniel sitting behind the counter, staring at the floor blankly. His reaction worried me the most. He could retaliate and destroy the city, or he could have a break down and give himself up.

"Cougar?" Jason noticed me and stepped forward. His eyes darted from the blood on my hands and knees to my face. "Are you all right?"

I shook my head. "What happened? What went wrong?"

Angelo pushed a shelf over in rage. The crash made me jump. "She went to far ahead," he yelled at us. "How am I supposed to watch her if she's that far ahead? I couldn't DO anything."

"She just can't be..." Russel didn't say the word. "I mean, she still could come back, couldn't she?"

"Is that her..." Micah started at me, "I mean, is that hers? All over you?" He referred to the blood.

I looked down at myself but didn't answer.

"What do we do now?" Peter opened his eyes to ask.

"It was my fault..." Donna Jean muttered.

"No, it wasn't," Alice reassured her. "And maybe we can bring her back. We can have a sacrifice to the Mother." Her dark eyes darted around the room wildly, finally landing on mine. "This was _her _idea. This was _her _fault. I say we sacrifice _her_!" She grabbed my arm angrily.

I openly snarled at her, and she dropped it, stepping back quickly.

"Don't you get it?" Peter shouted, drawing everyone's attention except Daniels. "That's Kim's _blood_ all over her. Kim's _dead_. She _died_. Just like the rest of us will someday. We're not gods. We're not gifted by the Mother Earth. We're just people. We're mutants." He looked around like he'd just realized what they'd been doing. "We're just people..."

"You take that back!" Alice spat at him, "We were given our powers by the Mother Earth. How dare you--"

Jason drew my attention away from the squabbling teammates. "They're falling apart," he noted quietly to me.

"That happens when a friend is killed," I muttered back. A thought occurred to me and I turned to look up at him, "You said 'they'." I pointed out.

"What?" He looked at me confused. I didn't buy it.

"You said 'they', not 'us'." My cat eyes narrowed, "What are you up to, Rocky...?"

He blinked a couple times, making a slight face. I recognized that face. He was listening to someone else. He focused on me again, "Trust me."

"Jason," I warned quietly.

"Heads up..." he warned back.

A flash grenade rolled across the floor. Everyone stared. Jason and I covered our eyes.

Screams of surprise and anger and fear erupted around us as it went off. I opened my eyes in time to see SWAT teams blast through the boarded up windows. I ducked and looked around. The small gas station was soon flooded with men in camo and high tech gear. Stun guns fired, and some kind of netting gun that neutralized the others powers was shot across the room.

Orders were being barked, "Don't Move!" "Stay Where You Are!" "We Got a loose one!"

Standing still, no one nabbed me, but the weird thing was that no one nabbed Jason either.

Some of the CoE members fought, with or without powers. Others just did as they were told. I couildn't see Daniel anywhere. Maybe he'd snuck out.

The building caught fire some how. I stood and watched a while before Jason broke the spell, "Come one," he motioned me to follow him. We walked through a window, behind two men who were carrying the powerless yet still feisty Alice out in hand cuffs. They weren't wearing SWAT patches. I looked closer.

"Owens," a guard by the door aimed his rifle at me.

"She's the X-Man," Jason (aka Owens?) stepped between us. We were allowed to pass.

Two plus two is four.

"You have **got** to be kidding me," I shook my head, "You, Rocky, work for the government now?"

He smiled sheepishly back at me, "Yea...Ironic, huh?"

"No, this is way beyond ironic," I threw my hands into the air, "You work for friggin' SHIELD." He shrugged so I continued, "You were a mole?"

"Yep," he nodded and stuffed his hands into his pockets as we got through the smoke.

"Then how did you know I wasn't one of them?"

"Because, Cougar, even when we were with Magneto, you did what was right. And," he noddoed over my shoulder at something, "We knew you were coming."

I turned around to see our X-Jet with Wolverine, Cyclops and Emma talking to my team.

"Oh, that is cute," I growled, starting toward them.

"In their defense," Jason caught up with me, "They didn't really have a choice. We brought them in. We needed another insider."

"Why?" I demanded, not breaking stride.

"So that I wouldn't be seen as the newbie anymore. Plus, we needed someone to track me telepathically...incase of any problems. That was where your White Queen came in."

"The intel was from you," I didn't make it a question.

"Yea," he sounded more tense as I neared the X-Men.

Cyclops was saying something to Conner when I interrupted, "Why the hell wasn't I told that there was another guy on the inside? Or who he was? Or that he was SHIELD?"

He turned his ruby lenses toward me and frowned slightly at my tone, "We needed you to believe that you were in there alone so as not to raise suspicion from the rest of the group. If you were alone, you'd be more likely to be the voice of reason and prevent people from getting hurt."

My face hardened, "Good f*cking plan, Cyclops. That worked real well."

"Hey kid," Wolverine put a hand on my shoulder. What? He thought I was going to start swinging or something? Not a bad idea, but my fists wouldn't be aimed at Cyclops...

I pulled away from him and snapped, "**Don't** you touch me." He didn't replace it and I continued with the X-Men's leader. "How many people died, Cyclops?"

His jaw tightened. When he didn't answer quick enough for me I turned to Emma, of all people. I wasn't looking to Wolverine for anything tonight...

"Three," she answered quietly. "Two police men and one CoE member."

I pressed my dry lips together and looked at the ground.

My team was staring at me. When I looked back, most of them dropped eye contact. Joseph spoke up first. "Cougar..." he struggled to find what he thought could possibly be the right words, "We thought you..." again he stopped, then ended lamely, "joined the bad guys."

I swallowed back angry words. It had been a bad night in my life. Quietly I replied, "Yea, well it didn't take much, did it?" I turned and walked off. If I had stayed I would have started fighting. Or crying.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And once again," a stuffy looking man in a business suit looked around the table, "We appreciate your cooperation in apprehending this group and your discretion in the matter."

Keep your mouth shut, is what he meant. I drummed my claws across my thigh. I wanted out of there. By the time Cyclops stood to leave, I was more worked up than before. SHIELD officials, Jason, the three X-Men and I filed out of the office.

"Hey, kid, we gotta talk," Logan grabbed my arm before I could slink away.

I stopped walking but didn't turn to look at him.

"What happened out there aint yer fault. Those people were brain washed by Pewter. They thought they were invincible." I remained silent until he continued, "Don't blame yerself--"

I pulled away from his grip and turned on him with clenched fists, "No, Logan. I'm not gonna blame myself, I'm gonna blame **you**. You signed me up for this pointless mission and threw me in there blind. You put me through this for nothing."

He scowled at my verbal attack but I didn't let him respond, "Why did you pick me?"

"Because yer powers matched the rest of the group--"

I rolled my eyes and walked away with a frustrated groan.

He didn't follow but yelled at my back, "Where are ya goin'?"

"I don't need enhanced senses ta smell that bull shit," I growled, knowing he'd hear it. I stalked up to Scott and Emma and interrupted their conversation with my demand, "Why did you pick me?"

"Because your gifts--"

"I wasn't asking you," I cut off Summers and stared pointedly at Frost.

She didn't hesitate, but answered me honestly, "Because your team would believe that you left to join a terrorist group more than anyone else."

"Emma," Summers touched her elbow.

"Oh for God's sake, Scott," she rolled her eyes at him, "She's not a child. There's no sense in candy coating it."

"Why was it so important that they thought that?" I pressed.

"To see how well your team was...holding up," she used someone else's wording.

I took a breath and looked away, "Another test." I left them.

"Cougar," Cyclops tried to call me back.

I made it out of the front of the office building that SHIELD had commandeered before Wolverine stopped me again.

"Kid," again he grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Don't. You. Even..." I refused to look at him. "She died because of another test, Logan."

"Look--"

"No," I snapped, pulling away. "I trusted you."

He didn't follow me but Jason did.

"Hey, Cougs," he called out. I had forgotten that he was the first to give me that nickname. My team occasionally called me that, but he started it even before they knew me. He caught up to my fast pace, "You want a ride or anything?"

"No," I shook my head. "I need some fresh air. I gotta think."

He nodded, understanding. "OK, well you got my number. Call me if you need anything, or even just to catch up. It's been a long time."

I nodded, realizing he was right. It was a lifetime ago that we'd seen each other.

"See you around, Cougar," he turned and let me be..

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OK, again I was going to end this chapter here, but Cougar's so sad, so lets end it on a better note, shall we?

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I walked around the town for two hours before even thinking of going back to the Hotel. I was assuming that I still had a room there.

The door squeaked, just like always. Jake looked up from my window sill.

"Hey, Fangs," he greeted my with his own nickname for me. "I was getting worried you wouldn't show."

I shrugged, then realized I was still standing in my doorway. He watched me with a creased brow as I took a few steps in and closed the door. We were both quiet as I stared at my floor boards and he stared at me.

With a sigh, then a sudden slap of his leg, he got to his feet. "All right, lets go. You ready?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips and I looked him in the eyes, "Ready for what?"

"Chinese. I'm calling in my rain check, Fangs. Lets go..." he looked me over closer then added a little less up beat, "Maybe change into some normal clothes."

"I don't wanna go out," I sighed, ok, a bit whiney.

"When's the last time you ate?" He asked

I actually couldn't remember.

As I tried to organize my memories he urged me further, "See? We're up for Chinese. Go change."

"Allright," I was only agreeing because my stomach decided to start growling at that time. "Go wait for me, I'll be out in a minute."

"Not a chance. Change in your bathroom, I'm not giving you another chance to run." He thought it over then added, "At least not tonight."

My jaw dropped open then closed, then opened again, "What?"

"Hey, I know you; you'll leave for a week or two then come back and pretend that everything's rosy. Or at least as rosy as you get."

"I will not."

He ducked his head and looked up with a knowing smile.

I made a face at him and went to get some jeans and a t-shirt. I wasn't going to leave. Really. I was only _thinking_ about it...

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K, now we're done. R&R plz!


	10. Chapter 10

**Review Replies:**

Hey, quick chapter, no time for replies. Short so have fun.

**Chapter: 10**

"I see you remember me," Mr. Blackstone smiled slightly. "Welcome to your new home."

"Gimme one reason why I shouldn't rearrange yer windpipe," I glared across the metal room at him.

The guards tense, and I glance between them menacingly.

"Because, with a wave of my magic wand," he holds up a remote control, "I can explosively remove your spinal cord. Let me demonstrate."

Electrical impulses course through my body and I drop to the ground. My gritted teeth muffle my screams as my body seizures uncontrollably. It stops and all I hear is a low chuckle and my own ragged breathing. I uncurl myself from a ball and stumble to my feet, glowering heatedly at the horrible man.

"Have I made myself clear?" he smiles politely.

"Perfectly. In fact, I can see right through you," I growl.

"Good. Lets go for a walk."

I resist the urge to glance at the other girls, just follow him out, followed by the two guards and their guns.

The hallway is metal, steel, plain with irregularly placed doors without windows. My mind counts the doors on both sides while staring straight ahead. Collect information. Don't fight. Mentally I sigh; I want to hurt someone. Badly.

"I believe the last time we saw each other, you were coming out of 'the hole' and not cooperating with me."

"Ya saw me when ya had that shapeshifter pose as me," I remind him.

"Yes," he concedes pleasantly, "But he wasn't so colorful. Do you know what happened after you left my island?"

"I know what happened ta me." I knew what happened to him too. He was supposed ta still be in jail.

A number of months after you were transferred to the other island; a couple of weeks after your commercial debute, in fact my island was invaded by a large number of government officials. Despite my previous agreement with the governor of Hawaii, my operation was shut down and my workers were released."

"You mean your slaves." I correct, staring straight ahead. "It's called the emancipation proclamation."

He continues as if I hadn't spoken, "I was charged with unauthorized imprisonment, forgery of legal documents and a number of other crimes."

"Yet here we are," I pipe up as we turn left down a hall.

"I wasn't the only investor in my project. I owed certain people and groups quite a bit of money. The researchers here, or rather, the investors behind the researchers, offered me a deal. I got out of prison through a loop hole and am now indebted to this project."

"And what is 'this project'?" We take a right. The hall looks the same.

"That I do not know. But they were looking for mutants with certain criteria. You match that criteria."

"Ya don't say, "I comment, dryly.

"I had no idea what had happened to you, if you'd been killed by th other exiles or simply starved to death. Our population counts over the island became zero quite suddenly.

"Yup," I didn't offer him any more information.

"By chance, I saw you on the news with the X-Men, and it became clear to me what had gone wrong with my island." He turns on me angrily. I see the attack coming, but to avoid confrontation, I block his hand and refrain from a counter. It doesn't cool him off any.

"You sent the X-Men there to destroy all that I'd worked for. You ruined my life-"

"_Your_ life?" I ask in disbelief, "I was 15 years old!"

"And I saved you from dying at the hands of those law enforcement men."

We're playing that game, huh? "And I saved _you_ from an attack by Magneto. You wouldn't have been recognizable as a human to the coroner after he got through with you," I point out heatedly. Truthfully I didn't persuade Magneto to leave him alone, I simply distracted him from his revenge.

Hey, my statement caught him off guard. I continued rationally, "Now you know the types of people I've worked with. You know that keeping me here is another disaster waiting to happen." We stop walking but I continue to speak, "If I'm not rescued by _someone_ or a group of someones, I'm gonna bust outta here myself." I narrow my eyes at him for effect, "And if thats the case, I'm comin' after you,and I'm bringin' this place ta the ground."

He smiles smugly at me, "If you even _think_ of escaping," the door we were standing in front of opens; we're back at the cell, "I'll blow each and every one of their brains out, starting with the child."

I turn to follow his gaze to Trinity, who whimpers audibly. My glare returns to his damn face.

"Good day, Cougar."

I'm shoved back into the cell, and turn to see the door close loudly.

This is not good.

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K, short but explanes a lot, right? In a hurry, enjoy, R&R have a good memorial day weekend!


	11. Chapter 11

**Review Replies:**

OK, so that last chapter sucked...I'd put in a little piece at the beginning saying that it was back in the present time with blackstone, but I must not have saved it, then when I posted it wasn't there. Sorry about that. It kinda explained what had happened to him tho, rite?

Lady Q:  Nope, story goes on and on...i have no time to write anymore, but i'm catching up on my posting. I guess that's better for you guys right? Thanks for the reviews!

Proud to be an X-Nerd: it didnt explain anything? Sorry...see above note on that. ~annoyed face~ computers don't cooperate with me much. This chapters long and good, I hope?

Dipsey: Thanks. I made Jason to be a real jerk last time. But he's making up for it. We haven't seen the last of him, either.

Dusel: OK so you didn't like chapter 10 (set in present tense). Still a good track record, rite? And I was actually trying to make Emma to be the better person in chapter 9. Cyclops and Wolverine were the jerks. Emma was the only one who was straight forward with her.

VballMania: Thanks! Reviews ensure me that people are actually still reading this stuff. :D

Emmy: Thank you. I tried to make chapter 9 end on a high note.

WOLFY: yay! I love reviews covered in wolf fur! You might come back in...actually, you have a very nice role where you're mocking wolverine planned. It'll be fun.

Kirby: I'm glad you like chapter 9. It was one of my favorites because everything fell into place. Rocky was just a random thought, like I was writing her meeting the CoE and all of a sudden my muse hit me on the head and said, 'Put Jason in there!' then she hit me again and said, 'Make him a secret Good Guy\'. I had a headache but it was SO worth it.

Winter Warrior:  see above comment for explanation on Rocky. Otherwise, yea, Cougar was on a major emotional roller coaster. And don't worry about Wick, he's gonna get whats coming to him. :D

**Quote:** My, I'll bet you monsters lead innnnteresting lives. - Bugs Bunny

**Chapter 11**

The smell hit us when we walked through the door, making my stomach grumble and my mouth water. When _was _the last time I'd eaten?

"One? Two?" an overly smiley waiter came up to us, searching for me.

"Two," I answered and he motioned us to our normal booth, giving us menu's, silverware and taking our drink orders.

Jake watched me unroll, then re-roll the eating utensils. "So how you doing?"

"Wonderful, and yourself?" My tone was light but I continued to stare at the napkin holder.

"Logan told me what happened."

I nodded without looking up. The scene kept replaying in my head. I shouldn't have been so focused on Dragon. I let my personal problems get in the way. I should have been keeping a better eye on the CoE. They were inexperienced. They were counting on me. I should have-

"Still doing wonderful?" Jake pulled me out of my thoughts.

"What else did he tell you?" I avoided the question to ask my own.

"The whole story."

I grunted in response. Smiley-waiter came and got our orders. A seafood medley for me, something ordered in Chinese for Jake, who spoke the language of the family that owned the place, and then we were left alone again.

"He also said that it wasn't your fault," he added to the previous conversation before taking a drink of water. "What happened to that girl, I mean."

"Logan pissed me off, change the subject," I rearranged the condiments on the table.

He shrugged and complied in the most annoying way, "So whats with this Rocky guy?"

I slant my eyes at him, "Jason? What've you heard?"

He leaned across the table a little. He had next to no sense of personal space, or perhaps too much, knowing people's boundaries and continually pressing them. I used to think it was an intimidation technique. Though he did to it frequently to make others uncomfortable, he continued to do it with me unintentionally. He smiled crookedly, "If I cared about what others said, I wouldn't ask you."

I took a deep breath. I felt the need to unload. I didn't usually talk about my past to anyone. What's past is past, different life and everything. Right after I decided to stay with the X-Men, I told my team my story. I hadn't gone into detail, but I did explain my situation, the circumstances, the people I was with and why. But Jake hadn't been there when I told them about my history and refused to look it up in my files. So I caved and told him my story...

"Scary stuff for a kid to think about," he'd agreed when I told him about my highschool registering me and the mob and government agencies coming to me for jobs...

"Magneto?" he'd asked when I told him of waking up in a cage on a cargo plane. He knew a little that I'd been with that lunatic, but had no idea about Blackstone. He nodded as he realized how far back me and Jason had gone.

"And you saw them do this?" He checked when I told him about the exiles willing to kill mutants without useful powers.

"Wait," he interrupted when I told him that I was trained under Magneto by Sabertooth, "That's the guy that tore you up, wasn't it?"

And when I finally go to the part of my story where I reached Xaviers, he shook his head at me. "All I had to do was have my old man call up Logan..."

Our food arrived and I finished up the story around mouthfuls of lo mein noodles. "Logan hated me for the longest time—feral issues—and the students knew that I'd been with Magneto before I got to Xaviers, and then a commercial starring me as a 'tamed' mutant came out from Blackstone's little slave camp. So all the students hated me too. And Magneto attacked, and Creed tried to save me, and I tried to save Jason..." I shook my head. "It was all just a big mess. So I tried to run away again, but Wolverine stopped me. I couldn't leave because Creed could be running around trying to kill me or train me to be his protege or whatever and Jason escaped and went back to Magneto, so he'd probably be trying to kill me..." A shrug of my shoulders finished tale, "So I had to stay at Xaviers. And if I was staying, I might as well train to be an X-Man."

"And here I thought it was your life's ambition," he smiled at me, but his eyes stayed worriedly on mine.

"That's how it turned out. And, ironically, Jason is now with SHIELD." I pushed what was left on my plate around with a chopstick. Something was bothering me. "Why..." I hesitated, then rephrased the question, "How did you know I wouldn't join the CoE?"

"Because, Fangs," he looked at me straight faced, "I know you."

"Psh," I smirked back, "No you don't. We've only been working together for, like, 6 months."

"So?" He looked at me like I was naive. "We've been partners for 6 months. I can know you by then."

He was referring to Amber's brilliant idea of the buddy-check system while in the field. Ana and Conner checked on eachother, Amber and first, Joseph, then Randall, then all three checked on eachother, and then she stuck me and Jake together. I always thought it was stupid. It's easier for me to get my own back than to have to make myself noticed for one person to assure that I was OK. Jake's powers, though, tended to help him and not put me in jeopardy by making myself noticed. It all worked out, but it still didn't mean that he knew me.

"You don't _know _know someone from only 6 months," I explained completely rationally.

"OK, how's this," he leaned forward to look me in the eye. "I know that you have a cat, but you're really a dog person. Under all of that kick-ass exterior, your heard just melts for those puppy dog eyes."

I rolled my own eyes.

"I know that in your civy-clothes pocket, at all times you have chapstick, a coin about God, and, as redundant as it is with your claws, a pocket knife."

Now I frowned, "You've been going through my stuff-"

He continued, "I know that you were a daddy's girl growing up, but still make sure to call your mom every Sunday. That you hate canned vegetables because you were raised on garden produce..."

OK, he could have talked to my sister and gotten that much...

"...I know that from Thanksgiving through New Years day you listen to Christmas music on your ipod. And that on Christmas Eve, instead of getting drunk with the rest of us who couldn't go home to their families, you shopped for presents and left them on the front doors of less fortunate families."

My mouth opened, "How did you know that?"

"Because I know you, Fangs."

I stared at him in shock. He stared back, a bit of a smile in the corner of his eyes. I dug the coin out of my pocket and slid it across the table. One side had a set of footprints in the sand, the other said "Follow in the footprints of the Lord. They will lead you through troubled times and help brighten your life". I explained, "Dad randomly gave each of us kids one. I'm the only one that kept mine."

"See, daddy's girl." His smile broadened.

"But the Christmas music thing is from my mom."

"Don't forget to call her tomorrow," he reminded me.

"OK," I gave in to his crooked grin, "You know some stuff about me. But how'd you know I wouldn't join the bad guys? Really?"

"Because, Fangs," he tried to explain again. "I know you're more responsible than that. You follow your heart to do what's right." When I continued to stare at him he sighed and leaned in even closer, as if being nearer to me would get it through, "You're not a good guy because your an X-Man. You're an X-Man because you're a good guy."

I smiled back a little. "Thanks, Jake."

"Not a compliment," he leaned back and cracked open his fortune cookie, "It's just a fact. Hey," his face brightened as he held out the little slip of paper, "I'm coming into money."

Again I rolled my eyes and read my own fortune half heartedly.

"And I know," he reached over and grabbed my broken cookie from the edge of my plate, "That you don't like vanilla cookies or candles."

"I'm supposed ta follow my instincts," I dropped my fortune to the plate.

"I also know that you would have done anything to save that girl. It wasn't your fault, Cougar." He said this quietly and seriously.

"Thanks," I said again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK Guys, Im sorry this is super short and doesnt even have any X-Men in it, but yesterday at work I ripped off half of my fingernail and part of my finger, so its hard to type with a bandaid on and it kinda hurts, so excuse any typo's from the right side of the keyboard, k? I'll try to get more out next week. Or the week after that.


	12. Chapter 12

**Review Replies:**

Lady Q: Well, my finger wasn't ripped off, just the nail and then it tore some of the skin, but it didn't fall off. Its mostly better now. OK, sorry again about the time switch. Chapter 11 was past tense, right after Cougar's team was informed that she wasn't a bad guy. Chapter 10 was in the present, where she woke up and was captured and Blackstone was behind it all. But now we're back in the past so that the past can get caught up to the future. Kinda like the first fic. I try not to switch back and forth too much.

Wolfy: Yea, work sucks. And I actually think I wrote that chapter when I was PMSy, so it made me sad/emotional too. I miss you too.

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Finger's better. I do like the Jake/Cougar thing, but no romance, I'm sure I'd suck at writing it. I always feel wrong about writing chapters that are entirely OC. I should have more X-Men in them, but *shrugs* I guess it all works, and so far I've gotten all good reviews.

Dipsy: No, Jake's a good guy. I needed him to soften Cougar up a bit, and make her remember who she is. Plus, he has been working a lot with her, and is just very observant.

Dusel: Nope, no romance. Just very connected.

**Quote:** My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you'll be happy; if not, you'll become a philosopher. - Socrates

**Chapter 12**

I slept in late. Very late for me, infact it was nearly noon before I decided to roll out of bed. It was Sunday so there were no classes for me to teach. I still wasn't sure if I was supposed to teach.

The coffee was cold, so I nuked it while searching through the cupboards for something filling. No one had shopped for awhile. It wasn't my job, so I usually refrained from complaining so that someone wouldn't make it my job. A student came in behind me so I made it a point to close the cupboard door loud enough to get their attention. Now wasn't the time to scare the students. They might not know that I was still and X-Man and, I don't know, knee-jerk reaction blow me through a wall. Don't laugh, it could very well happen.

"Ms. Cougar?" Maria looked a little shocked.

"Yup," I got my coffee.

"You…haven't seen the news yet today, have you."

I paused, "Why?"

"Well…you don't seem mad. And I thought you would be if you seen it."

Since I usually caught kids doing things they shouldn't be doing the most often, I gave the most detentions. One of the newer rules was that if you gave detention, you would have to sit through the detentions with the kids. Personally, I felt that I was being punished for catching them in the wrong, but what ever. Maria and I had been spending a lot of time together and she was starting to figure out my moods. She really was a good kid, she just didn't look ahead to see the consequences of her actions.

I sighed and gulped some coffee. "OK, come show me how at use that TiVo thingy-ma-jigger."

"K," she lead me to one of the TV rooms, "But remember this next time I have you for detention…"

"No bathroom duties, got it." I nodded.

It was just a short news blip, really. Frank made a public statement, announcing the mutant task force had apprehended the extremist mutant terrorist group. Oh, and the man-hunt for me was over because I had assisted in the arrest of one of the members who was really responsible for the break in that I had done.

Blinking at the screen, I frowned, "That story doesn't even make sense." I turned to Maria, my voice rising, "Does that make sense to you?"

"See, I knew you'd be mad," she replied, matter of factly. "And Ms. Amber's been looking for you since this morning. She's got that cop guy down in the lower levels."

Instantly, my blood pressure rose. Taking a few calming breaths, I thanked Maria and told her not to worry about me.

I drained my mug and stalked toward the elevators. Tearing through the lower levels, I found them overlooking a training session in our Danger Room.

"Cougar," Amber forced a smile when I barged through the door.

"What the hell is he doing down here?" I demanded.

The smile fell.

"An olive branch," Frank painted on a look of sincerity, making my skin crawl.

Amber cut in, "He got all the charges dropped-"

I rolled my eyes, "That wasn't him, that was SHIELD. The guards I hospitalized didn't even get hurt. I dislocated a shoulder and knocked the other guy out."

Now she looked a little peeved, "Cougar-"

"No," I hissed, pulling her out of the room but leaving the door open enough for me to keep an eye on the 'cop'. "I told you not ta trust him. Just cuz I was playin' bad guy at the time doesn't mean I wasn't telling' the truth."

"Cougar, this territorial thing of yours has gotten way out of control," she put her hands on her hips and frowned at me.

"This is _not_ about territory," I snapped.

"Is this about Nicky?" she asked, completely throwing me off. "Because Frank told me about what happened. That he was a compulsive liar and in there for a reason."

My jaw dropped.

"Cougar," she continued to try and reason with me, "He said that Nicky's at the camp now; that he's doing fine."

"And you believe him?" I asked, realization dawning on me.

"Well, yea," she shook her head at me as if I were the crazy one, "Why wouldn't I?"

I licked my dry lips, looking around the metal hallway before telling her, "I want him outta the lower levels."

"Come on, be fair," she sighed as if tiring of being the voice of reason. "He works with us half the time."

Forcing my anger down, I glared up at her, "Get him outta here," I warned evenly, turning on my heel and stalking off.

OK, first things first: I had to figure out what that number on the files meant. Then I had to find the camp and destroy it…oh, was that too dramatic? Then I had to make sure to nail Frank for it all. All of this had to be done on my own. With Amber so blinded by that 'love' crap, she couldn't be relied on. And her being the leader of the X-Men, the team couldn't be counted on for help either. After that last stupid 'mission' I didn't want to pull the team apart again by asking for their help either, and make anyone else go against Amber. I grabbed my laptop and headed for a secluded place to do some research alone.

It wasn't a phone number.

If it was an address, it was either a floral shop, a funeral home or one of three residential homes. I used Google earth to get a street view of each location, but they al looked legitimate enough.

My pager buzzed, making me jump. I checked the number-Joseph's office. Obviosly it went ignored.

I started to research Frank to see where he could have connections. He'd been a cop in Detroit. I ran the number through that city.

My pager buzzed again. This time it was Amber's personal cell phone number. Again, ignored.

A warehouse came up as one of the Detroit addresses and I scribbled a note to myself.

Another page: Jake's cell number.

I tried to find any information on 'the camp' but it wasn't listed anywhere, adding to my suspicion of it not really existing.

Jake paged me again. I turned the dang thing off.

My computer skills have always been lacking, but I was feeling pretty inadequate at that point. I knew there had to be better ways to figure this out, but I'd have to go it alone as long as I could to keep the team out of this mess. Maybe I was just imagining it all. Maybe I was just paranoid and territorial.

Naw.

Game plan: go to Detroit, check out that warehouse. If nothing came up there, I'd come back and shake down some of the 'cops' working on Frank's creep force.

I went down to my room to get what I'd need for the trip. Some cash, a uniform, a change of clothes; I threw it all into a backpack and turned to see Jake in the doorway.

"Hey fangs…" he took in the view, me with a pack slung over my shoulder and my uniform in hand. He knew what that meant, it was clear by the look of disappointment on his face. "You got a call on line two."

I didn't try to hide my uniform as I went to answer the phone, "Hello?" I demanded, annoyed at the interruption.

"Hey, kid-" Wolverine started.

I slammed the phone against the nightstand three times, then heard him cursing me before I dropped it back into the cradle.

"That was childish," Jake informed me, fowning.

I knew it was but I slid past him-he didn't move out of the doorway-and out into the hall before replying, "I'm not taking calls from him."

He stalked after me, "Looks like you're not taking calls from anyone for awhile."

I didn't answer.

"You gotta quit running from your problems, Fangs."

"I'm just goin' on a little vacation. Me time." I lied.

"No you're not," he sounded aggravated, "You've got your costume with you."

"Uniform," I corrected, "And I'm just takin' it incase I need it."

"Cougar," he grabbed my arm to stop me. I tried to pull away but he held on. When I turned to look at him, his face changed from mad to worried, "What's going on. You can tell me."

"Let go of my arm," I didn't answer his question.

He did, but looked frustrated again, "You know, you make it really hard to be nice to you."

I turned and continued walking away. "I didn't ask you to be."

He didn't follow me after that but called out to my back, "If I don't hear from you in two days, Fangs, I'm sending Logan after you."

I didn't respond to the threat, which it _was_ a threat.

Now don't think I didn't feel bad about the situation. But if I just happened to be wrong, I could live with Amber being pissed at me for all time, but I wouldn't want to drag Jake down with me.

I took my truck and left it at the bus stop, throwing off anyone who might try to follow me by walking to the airport. Have you ever been to the Denver airport? It's friggin HUGE. One of the upsides of my powers is that I can travel for free. Just board the plane, wait to see which seats are empty (preferably in first class). Sure I don't get asked what I want for dinner, but I can usually manage to fend for myself. My plane landed without incident.

It only took me an hour or so to orient myself with the city. I'd grown up a country girl, four hours of driving to the nearest place that we called a city but would probably still be referred to as a small town by most people. Now I roamed the streets of Denver, was familiar with New York City and could easily get around a dozen other places.

I found the warehouse and watched I for two days. Three trucks came, back into a bay and left a couple hours later, looking noticeably lighter. There was only five people covering the whole place and they looked like regular workers, none of them looked to be carrying any fire power. On the second night, I made my move, silently going through one of the yet-to-be locked doors.

Wooden crates, unmarked, were stacked against the walls. There were quite a few of them, all different sizes. The last man to leave flicked off the lights and locked the doors. Waiting 15 minutes, incase he came back for something forgotten, I went into snoop mode.

The office didn't have any files, at all. The filing cabinet was completely empty. The desk was full of pens, a phone book, and junk food, mostly ho-ho's. Nothing was marked in the phone book. Ok, so that made it a little more suspicious, right?

There was a break room with a small table, 4 chairs, a deck of cards, a small TV and more food. I sighed out loud. What the heck is this place?

I decided to break into the crates. No pry bars were to be found, which didn't make sense either. After a search through the utility room, I found a hammer and got the job done. The crate looked obviously tampered with, but who cared by that point?

Dehydrated army meals. A variety. Maybe a hundred, but that was all. I tore into another. More meals. Tow more like that, then one of medical supplies and basic first aid stuff. I was suspecting that I had made a mistake on my location. Though this place smelled fishy, it didn't appear to be the fish I was looking for. I eyed a smaller crate, set aside and labeled, "FRAGILE".

Packing peanuts poured out of the hole I'd busted into it. I snaked my arm around until my hand touched something surrounded in bubble wrap. It was small enough to pull through the hole.

Unwrapping it, I discovered some kind of electronic device that was small enough to fit into the palm of my hand. I reached back in and found more, then, to my surprise, a piece of paper. I unfolded the hand written sheet and scanned over the message. Garble. Letters mixed with numbers. We had a class at Xaviers on deciphering coded messages. I sat back on my haunches and studied the print.

The code was broken in less than five minutes. It was a simple, amateur one, clever enough that only a few people wouldn't be able to figure it out eventually. I dug my pocket notebook and pen from my trench coat and got to work. The code was simply letters with a backwards alphabet. You wrote out A through Z then underneath it Z through A. Each letter that you wanted to use, you exchanged with the letter below it. A became Z, B became Y, C became X, etc. The numbers were thrown in at random to confuse anyone that shouldn't be reading the letter.

After a couple minutes, I had the letter.

_Here's the new prototype. They shouldn't have the same problems, but glitches will happen. We have to lay low for a couple of months, some mutant is on to Wick. We are still coming up at the planned time. Don't expect any new recruits until the problem is fixed._

Guess I was that problem. I studied the device in the palm of my hand, but had no idea what it could have been. I had to find a techy. The door opened loudly behind me. I'd forgotten about the early-bird crew chief.

Like a shadow, I slid to the wall as the lights flickered on.

The man whistled a tuneless song on his way to the office. The note quieted as he noticed the damaged crates. So I'd gone a little overboard with the hammer…

"Well…What the hell…" me moved forward for a closer look. I moved in for a better angle of attack.

I latched onto the back of his coat with my claws and pulled him off balance enough to what a 'wah' noise from him before slamming him to the concrete. "Hiya," I greeted cheerfully before slamming my elbow across his chin.

He groaned and tried to focus his eyes on me.

"Hey, wake up now," I gave his face a hard tap. I knew that he was awake when his eyes shot open and he gasped loudly. I knelt hard on his pot belly, forcing the air back out. "There ya go." I smiled, showing him my teeth. "Now, I got a couple of questions for ya. If ya answer me correctly," I dropped the smile for effect, "I won't rearrange yer windpipe. Got it?"

His bug eyes stayed on mine as he nodded rapidly.

"Good. Who do you work for?" I started with the big stuff.

"I don't know. We-"

"That doesn't sound like the correct answer. Maybe you should reconsider yer response." My claws went to his throat.

"No! No! I swear! We just get cash in an envelope every two weeks. I swear!" he stammered.

"What do you do here?"

"Nothin'. We don't do nothing cept unload the trucks if they come. They show up and we unload."

"What do you do with the stuff that you unload?"

"Nothin'. Sometimes at night people come and empty the warehouse, but we aint here when they come."

I stared hard at him and he squirmed.

"We don't do nothing illegal…"

"How do you know?" I scowled.

His eyes shot around, "OK, we looked in the crates once, but it was an accident."

"You accidentally pried open a shipping crate?"

"Yea…yea, an accident. But there wasn't nothin' bad in it."

I fished out the device and held it up, "Ya ever seen this before?"

The man squinted at it, "No. Nothing mechanical. Not like that, just food."

"When will they come again for a pick up?"

"They don't tell us. They show up at random. They just came last week, so tey won't be back for awhile."

I sighed and got off of him. He didn't move and I eyes him warily, "Yer not exactly tight lipped 'bout this place." He'd cooperated like a dream…it was refreshing.

"They don't pay me that well. I got three kids. They won't get fid if I get dead."

"Well, maybe ta keep this job, you should tell 'em I was gone before ya came in," I hinted.

"Lips sealed on that one, lady," he got up and I stood back a little. "You mutants aint that bad…I've been roughed up worse by humans."

"Yea? Well keep that in mind if one of yer kids turns out ta be a mutant," I replied drylly, then turned on my heel and walked away.

He said something about my comment, but I didn't hear it.

I needed a tech guy. I'd worry about the delivery people later.

As an X-Man, I had all sorts of connections, but I had to be careful on who I chose at the time. My two days were up and I hadn't called Jake I was on the move, besides, he would have traced the call and had Wolverine find me that way. Why make it easier for them? I couldn't go to any of the other X-Men branches, they'd alert Amber. I knew from past experiences that she (or Joseph, depending on who was leader), would have put me on rogue status. Half the time when she did that, I wasn't even causing trouble, just wandering the country. It really drove me nuts.

So, having few options, I did something a little drastic and found myself hiding out in Tony Stark's laboratory. I'd had his name and address from both my X-Men days and my way-long-time-ago days with Magneto. I dropped by and followed this once business-looking lady in. I should have done it the traditional way of knocking, but I wasn't 100% sure that I'd remembered the right location. I mean, obviously it was a rich guy's house, but it could have been anyone's for all I knew.

Following the lady through the house and into a secured laboratory, I discovered it was empty. So I hunkered down and waited, really hoping I was in a genius superhero's house and not an evil super genius's house. I hate it when that happens.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

R&R Enjoy!


	13. Chapter 13

**Review Replies:**

Dipsey: Thanks for reviewing (I didn't get many). Yea, that part where Cougar hung the phone up on Wolverine was one of those things that kinda came to me, then I REALLY liked it so I just HAD to fit it in somewhere.

Dusel: Cougar's fun when she's cranky tho, isn't she?

**Quote:** A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing. -unknown

**Chapter: 13**

A/N: OK, so I only ever watched the Iron Man movie, and read a couple Wolverine comics with him in it, but the movie-verse made him kinda funny, so I wanted to put him in here. Enjoy, and I don't own him either.

Well, it was Stark's house. I had been waiting nearly an hour before a dark haired man with very manicured facial hair came in. I'd never actually met the guy, just seen him from files and news reports and stuff, so I waited for him to get close enough to me before I said anything.

I didn't quite know how to start the conversation, so as he started shuffling through the mail that the lady had brought in, I casually started to tell him, "Security systems can't-"

He jumped and as soon as I said "security systems", his blared to life.

'_Intruder detected. Alert. Intruder Detected.'_

Instantly I was surrounded by lethal looking insturments. My sentace trailed off as my hands went up, "detect my presence…"

'_Intruder Detected.' _The alarm continued.

"You think?" Stark shot sarcastically to…the room? With an annoyed expression he ordered, "Shut up. Deactivate alarm." He turned to me, but then back to his assistant who had come as far as the door.

"Is everything OK Mr. Stark? What's going on."

"We have an intruder," he pointed to me, who was still standing with my arms up.

The lady's eyes went wide, "Where did she come from?"

"Uh, hi," I forced on a tight smile, "Actually, I followed you in here earlier…" I received a deep frown at that. What , they want me to lie about it? I pressed my luck, "So…since I didn't kill ya when ya came in, could ya maybe call off yer computer?"

"Uhm," he actually answered _me_ with sarcasm, "How about 'no' to that, and instead _you_ tell me who you are and why you broke into my lab?"

"I didn't break in…I just…" I tried to come up with a good phrase, "I let myself in. I'm Cougar. I'm with the Denver Branch of the X-Men.

"I've never seen you with them before," he replied with a slight accusatory tone.

I succeeded in not rolling my eyes at that. "Well ya didn't see me sittin' right in front of ya either, 'n she didn't see me follow her all over the house."

"Your tone sounds like that's reason enough not to call the local police. You broke into my lab _and_ you stalked my assistant."

OK, so my eyes rolled a LITTLE that time, "I don't go invisible. My mutant power is an ability ta go unnoticed. People don't see me unless I get their attention. Security systems are the same way." I gesture at one of the guns still aimed at me, "Case in point."

He seemed to be considering what I said. "Who's your supervisor? I'll call them and confirm."

I made a face. "I'm…not actually working _with_ the X-Men right now."

"Meaning?"

"That if ya call them they'll be very upset and probably send someone ta get me. And that's just such a hassel since all I'm here for is your expertise on something."

His lips twitched in an almost-smile. "My expertise," he echoed me, "And what is it that you need from me, exactly that the X-Men couldn't handle? Or won't handle?"

"I've got a piece of…" shrugged, "I dunno, its technology, which aint my strong point-"

"Neither is grammar," he muttered

"But it's in my pocket," I continue, a little louder and a lot more annoyed, "Which I can't reach into because I'm pretty sure yer security system will kill me."

I stared at him. He stared back for a moment before commanding, "Threat's over. Put it away." The weapons disappeared into the ceiling silently. He didn't take his eyes off of me when he said over his shoulder, "It's all right, Pepper. Maybe bring our guest something to drink?"

"Water's fine, thank you," I answer her questioning look toward me.

"Well at least they taught you Manners at Xaviers, if not proper speech," Tony Stark leaned back in his expensive leather office chair.

"Uh, the manners came from my mother," I replied with just as much sarcasm as he did. "I can give ya her number if ya need some of yer own."

He smirked at my comment, then reminded me, "You need my help?"

I fished around in my coat pocket and pulled the doo-hicky out. "I need ta know what this thing is and where it came from, and if at all possible where its supposed ta be goin'." I tossed it across the desk to him.

He caught it one-handed and gave me a warning look before turning to the device. I could almost see his brain working in ways that mine never could. Wanna feel stupid? Just go talk to a techy…

"Where did you get this?" he moved over to a VERY fancy looking computer and set it on a stand. An enlarged hologram of it filled the space between us, rotating and turning, before blowing up into individual pieces.

Pepper brought me a bottle of water, tap would've been fine, and I said, "Thank you," to her before answering his question, "Its probably safest for me if I don't tell ya. And," I added, "On a similar note, maybe if someone were ta come looking for me you could forget that I was here."

He started pressing computer keys, but replied without looking up, "I've found it rather difficult to lie directly to Logan. That enhanced senses thing of his always gives me away." I received a sideways glance, "That _is_ who you're referring to? You're one of Wolverine's kids."

My mouth opened to lie but instead scowled, "I thought you didn't recognize me."

"Well," he went back to fiddling, "I know that the Denver Branch was trained by Wolverine. I also know that Logan quite often has his own missions with his own agendas which the X-Men may or may not know about, or approve of. How far behind is he? I don't particularly want him barging into my house tonight."

"Assuming that they only set him on me yesterday," I can hide the irritation from my voice, "and that no one ratted me out earlier than that….I may have thrown him off a couple hours between the bus station and the airport…He'd lose half a day figuring I'd gone to Detriot, get an ID on me there, then maybe another half a day on coming here…Maybe tomorrow? Depending on traffic."

"He's not the kind of person I would want on my trail if I were you."

I ignored that. "What can you tell me?"

"I can tell you what it is and where most of the parts came from. Where they were shipped to should only take a few more moments, but after that, it's a blank trail as to where they're going." He frowned, looking harder at the hologram. "It's a control device to dampen, possibly deactivate the effects of the mutant gene."

I felt myself frown, "Permanently?"

"Yes and no," he hit some buttons on the keyboard and small barbs shot out of the sides of the device. "It attaches to the mutant, most likely after being surgically implanted, and emits electrodes. If left over a long period of time, its possible that it could have lasting effects on a mutants power, either disabling them permanently or causing complete loss of control. However, they seem to have a receiver in them. This could make them adjustable, taking away all of the mutant powers, or none at all."

I shifted uncomfortably. Most mutants aren't born with their powers, but many of us feel that the 'gifts' are a part of us. The thought of suddenly having my powers stripped from my made me nervous. They defined who I was at that point in my life.

"The parts that its composed of came from numerous over-seas companies and were shipped to…" he checked another computer screen, "A senior citizens home in New Orleans."

"A what?" My eye brows shot up.

"I'm assuming that's a cover," again with the sarcasm, "Though the older generation generally dislikes mutants…"

I pulled out a small notepad and pencil and pressed, "Address?"

He gave it to me with some advice, "Who ever this is, they appear to be focused on mutants. That does make you vulnerable, Cougar, whether you like it or not. If this is something big, I wouldn't pursue it alone."

"I'm not alone," I assured, "I've got a pissed off Wolverine at my heels, remember?" OK so that wasn't very assuring.

He studied me for a moment before apparently coming to a decision. "I'm going to give you my card," he dug around in his desk for a little. "Call me if you need anything. I can sometimes help out in ways that Logan can't."

The card had a phone number on it and nothing else. I took it with a short, "I appreciate it." Then declined to stay for supper. I knew that I'd lose time in New Orleans. Lost time meant that Wolverine would be that much closer to me and I didn't know enough of what was going on with Wick to make my case yet.

Stark saw me to the door and called out to my back, "And please knock on the front door the next time you decide to break into my house."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Though I'd been to New Orleans a handful of times, I'd never really gotten the hang of the city. It was old, hodge-podged and thrown together by different countries during different periods. It had a different energy and feel to it than other cities. In little to no time at all I was certainly lost. I knew I was in the French quarter from the names of the streets and stores.

I needed to be somewhere across the city.

I needed help.

I picked up some information that could either turn my luck around or dig me real deep into a hole. I decided to try for the best . My tactics probably could have been planned batter.

"Lookee what Ah found!" the blonde man called out to the house as I allowed him to drag me around by the arm. It was a beautifully restored Victorian-styled mansion filled with people who were filtering down to the parlor to see what the drunk man was yelling about.

"What you got dere, Bobby?" an older gentleman came out. I knew him from files as Jean Luc LeBeau.

Bobby laughed, "Ah caught her tryin' ta pick mah pocket," he laughed again, assuring everyone that he was, indeed drunk. "Aint dat rich? Stealin' from a Theif? Hey," he frowned at me as I pulled at my arm.

"Bobby," an older woman came down the stairway dressed in extravagant colored layers, "You best let dat girl go. She's dangerous." The lady eyed me suspiciously. I remained docile.

"Naw," he smirked and held up my clawed hand, "she jus' a lil' pussy cat…" I pulled again on my arm.

"Non, boy," she pounded her cane against the bottom step. "She a dangerous one. Ah feel it in dese ol' bones. You best let 'er go back ta de' wind where she came from."

Now I looked at her with suspicion. In one motion, I circled my arm and broke his grip on it.

He laughed, not sensing my sudden switch from 'scared girl' to 'lethal superhero', and reached out to return his hold on me. I took on a fighting stance, gripped his palm with my thumbs and circled again, placing him in a rather painful wrist lock.

"Aye!" he cried out with more surprise than pain. I wasn't getting to that part yet.

The old woman cackled as two men in the room pulled guns. "Ya see Bobby LeBeau. Ah tol' ya. She da wild one, not you, boy."

Warily I looked between the two main threats as the slightly more sober Bobby glared at me.

"Dat's enough, petite," a familiar Cajun called out to me from behind, "Ah t'ink he learned his lesson. Let 'im go."

I released my hold and took a good step back, keeping my eyes on the angry and humiliated blonde man. I continued to back up until I felt Gambit close behind me. Guns followed but a little less menacingly.

"Friend of yours, mon frair?" Bobby asked hotly.

He answered in calmly in French. To me he asked, "Ya all right, petite?"

"I'd be better if guns weren't aimed at me."

Again he called out in French and the weapons were lowered. "Now what's goin' on here?"

Bobby started, "Caught her tryin' ta pick mah pocket on de street. Don' no one steal from a LeBeau, brother."

"Petite?"

I turned to look up at his red-on-black eyes. "I heard you were in town. I need yer help for something, but I couldn't find this place on my own. I saw him," I nodded back towards his brother, "he walks like you, and I kinda thought he looked familiar, so I got his attention."

Gambit shook his head at me, "Dis is New Orleans," he pronounced it as one word, N'awlins, "It aint safe fo' ya to be wanderin' round dese parts if ya aint familiar wit dem, or ta be pickin' pockets from someone ya thought coulda been in a Guild."

I frowned at his warning, "I can take care of myself."

His father laughed behind me, "Dis one's plenty head strong, non? She one o' yo' students?"

"Was, oui," Remy answered, "She graduated couple years back from Wolverine's class."

"Couple years, huh?" one of the men who'd aimed a gun at me looked me up and down with a crooked smile.

I smiled back slightly.

Abruptly, Gambit grabbed the back of my coat and pulled be behind him, breaking my eye contact with the man. "You stay 'way from le petite," he warned

"Aw, Remy, ya know she won't hurt _me._" he justified himself. I frowned at his words and shook my head, slightly confused.

"But Ah will , Pierre," my old teacher replied icily.

"You de boss," he held up his hands, "You de boss. But maybe if yo' guest decides ta stay de night…"

The old woman's cane slapped across his back, "You mind yo' cousin's warning, now, boy."

Again I shook my head. And I thought my family was nuts.

"Lets go fo' a walk, petite," Gambit's words were pleasant, but with his hand firmly on my lower back ushering me out, transmitted tension that I didn't understand.

He let me walk on my own once we were out on the streets where the sun was just setting. "You stay away from dat cousin o' mine, petite, ya hear?"

"Why?" I brushed off his warning tone. "I could take him."

"Non, cher. He don' fight de way you do. He has a way wit de filles."

I frowned for a second, "The girls? Like you?" I tried not to sound offensive.

"Non," he repeated, "He a mutant; his powers get de girls in bed every time. Got something' ta do with pheromones. You bein' feral makes things dat much easier fo' him."

"Oh," this made me scowl, "Creeper."

Gambit laughed at my choice of word, "Oui, dat works."

"So you gonna help me?" I bring the conversation to why I'd come.

"You in alotta trouble, petite, ya know dat?" he didn't answer my question. "Dat Jake call up Logan all worried bout you."

"Yea, I figured," I stuffed my hands into my pockets.

"An' Amber called up New York 'n put you on rogue status. She aint too happy wit you."

My face hardened, though I'd expected as much. Amber had changed since she was appointed team leader. She was less optimistic and chipper. It got a little better when she started to date Frank, but when it became obvious that I disliked her guy so much that I was avoiding the school when he was around, she seemed to take everything I did as a direct act of defiance towards her. She didn't understand that sometimes, ferals just needed to run (those were Wolverines exact words, too). I wasn't the only one who noticed her change of attitude toward me, either. Jake had actually had to get between us a few times and told _her_ to back off.

"OK," I decided to be straight with the man. " So I figure I got a day, two at most, on Logan. The only reason that I'm doinb' this alone is because if I'm wrong, and there's nothing to worry about, then my team's gonna get shredded for nothing." I stopped walking to look up at him, "So I'm here and all I need is a little bit of help from you. All I'm asking for is directions to this place." I held out the notepad for him to take if he decided to help. "That's all I need, I'm not askin' for any more."

I could see him cave into my imploring eyes before he even opened his mouth, "All right, petite, lets get dis over with, huh?"

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. It could have been done without his help, but that would've cost time, and I'd wasted enough of that getting lost in New Orleans.

He took the note pad and motioned me back towards his house where I'd seen his car parked. "Dis better not get Gambit inta trouble," he muttered at me.

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K, its one in the morning, but I got it done. WOOT. PLEASE review? I'm feeling a little like no one's reading….


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry, this isn't a new chapter. I just needed to inform you that due to a serious of unfortunate events…its gonna be a bit longer to get a chapter up. I appreciate you guys waiting this long, and I WAS going to post another chapter this week, BUT one of those events consisted of a burst pipe and a flooded room, destroying probably 4 or 5 chapters that I had previously written. My note book is either destroyed or lost, so now I have to start from scratch, which really bugs me because it was all edited and PERFECT (not to be egotistical) and now I have to recall all that perfection :D. But no worries, I'll start on it ASAP and see what I can get done for you guys. Thanks for hanging in there with me, and again, my apologies.

Cougar9


	15. Chapter 15

Quote:

**Hodgins**: You've never fought? Never thrown a punch?**Zach**: Never saw the logic of it.**Hodgins**: It's not about logic, it's, it's emotional, its anger! **Zach**: I don't get angry, it's not rational... **Hodgins**: What if I called you a scrawny twit who couldn't hold a conversation with a 10-year-old?**Zach**: I don't have much in common with a 10-year-old, and although I don't know what a twit is, objectively, I am thin and do lack muscular definition.**Hodgins**: Dude, you're a Vulcan and a dull Vulcan at that

-Bones season 2

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Chapter 15

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I don't know why Gambit didn't teach a class on interrogation. He was quite effective at getting answers.

Obviously, we didn't go to a nursing home, tho the guard probably was old enough to be in one. There was one scientist still in the building. I never knew if he was aware of my presence, he was too terrified of Gambit and the threatened he promised to carry out if unanswered. Most of those were in French, so I wasn't 100% sure of what they were. Those scared the scientist the most though.

He and one more doctor were partnered up with Wick and another head Kahunah. They were working on 'the mutant problem'. His end was strictly control of the test subjects. Beyond that, he didn't know.

And here's the big fat kick in the head. That camp that Wick sent those kids to was in Montana. A state park located about an hour drive from where I'd grown up. I used to hike in that park…see, big fat kick.

Gambit and I left the man with more threats and headed back to the streets. We were quiet for quite a while, just walking and thinking.

"Dis sounds like heavy stuff, petite," he finally told me. As if I hadn't realized that. But when I only shrugged at his warning he pressed, "You sure ya wanna go dis alone? Don' want no help from yo' team?"

I had quieted my footsteps, just like he'd taught me; matched his and slowly dropped back. I upped my powers and took three steps to the side before he turned to look for me.

"Petite?" he called back, then smirked. "Aight…Gambit wish ya luck den…" He turned and kept walking toward his car, "You jus' be careful, hehn?"

I waited to the count of 135 (don't ask me why), then silently walked in the direction of what I thought was an airport. I had to go back to Montana.

I lost a lot of time plane jumping, trying to get as close to the park as possible.

Makoshika. Acoording to the regional lore, it meant "Bad Land" iin the local Native American dialect. And that was exactly what it was. Badlands, buttes, gulllies, switchbacks; but it was beautiful with hills striped with reds, blues, whites, browns and grays. It made my blood boil to think of Wick perverting it with his anti-mutant garbage.

I rode two hours on the back of a cattle trailer before getting close enough to walk. Very cool-super-hero, right? Because of that, I had to waste even more time breaking into an apartment to use the shower. I just couldn't _not_ bathe.

Once clean, I wasted even more time, wandering the bad lands. I started with the assumption that the camp needed to be connected to a road in order for the trucks to deliver food and supplies. That turned out to be wrong. Roads would be populated. It was a state park, the last place people would look for a mutant experiment camp, but people did visit Montana and there were quite a few people in the park. It had to be hidden and nearly inaccessible. Then that luck that I rarely had threw me a bone. I spotted a helicopter. Duh, they had the supplies air lifted, that way, no one would be able to find them by mistake. Following the direction of the helicopter lead me straight to the camp. Pretty cool, huh?

I had swiped a few supplied from the local K-Mart (yes, big name stores do exist in Montana), a sleeping bag, some food and Gatorade and a fairly decent set of binoculars. Perched on the side of a butte, overlooking the camp, I laid under a craggly juniper tree and scoped out my target.

Training and experience had taught me to do surveillance twenty four hours minimum, two days or more was preferred. But I only had time for half the day and a few hours into the dark before my travels had me too exhausted to watch. I would have to do with what I had.

The wonderful thing about night vision, I had no problems making my way to my pre-picked spot to camp. I built a small fire because the nights were getting cold, and curled up into my stolen sleeping bag. Though my mind couldn't stop reviewing the information I'd gotten, eventually I drifted off to sleep.

XXX

The fire woke me. It was bigger; more built up. I squinted past the flames to see Wolverine scowling at me. "Don't run, girl," he warned me evenly.

I rolled away, out of the unzipped sleeping bag and took off at a dead sprint. I knew there was a reason why I'd slept in my boots.

Of course he caught me. His metal laced skeleton drove into me with enough force to knock the air from my lungs. As we fell to the ground, my only thought was, 'I hope I don't land on a cactus…'.

A second before my body was crushed to the earth by Wolverine's weight, he twisted us around so that his shoulder took the brunt of the fall. We rolled around on the dirt until he was somehow on top of me with my face in the sand.

"You 'n me, girl," he growled, "We gotta have a talk…"

My snarl was cut short as the first cuff snapped onto my wrist. "OK!" I nearly yelped. I flailed around, keeping my other wrist away. "Ok, Logan….OK!" Clearly struggling with his knee digging into my back, I twisted my head around to look him in the eye.

He stopped, most likely seeing the panic in my eyes that I was feeling rise up in my throat. Many ferals have a fear of being physically restricted or confined. Its not like I'd go into hysterics, but I'd have to try really hard to keep myself calm.

My neck started to cramp, but I refused to take my eyes off of him, "Logan." I said again, telling myself that my voice wasn't coming out weak because I was scared, but because my neck was all twisted out of shape.

After what felt like an eternity, he grunted and released me. Moving back to the fire, he warned me, "Don't make me come after you again."

A groan escaped my throat and I laid my forehead onto the gritty white earth. After my breathing returned to normal , I pushed myself up and brushed away the dust, jingling the remaining cuff. My feet dragged back to the fire and I couldn't help but think ' I really hate that man…'

Sitting across from him and his ever present scowl, I poked at the fire and waited for him to talk.

"Why'd you run?" was his first question.

Dangling the cuff off of my wrist it glinted accusingly from the fire. I cocked my head to the side, "Wouldn't you?" When he didn't answer right away I pressed his buttons further, "No? You'd just let someone drag you away-"

"I aint draggin ya anywhere, n' you know it, kid, so get the chip off yer shoulder."

"Then why the handcuffs, Wolverine?" I spit, glaring across the flames at him and feeling angry, annoyed, and I'll admit, a little betrayed.

"Cuz ya pissed me off, that's why. I've been chasin' you all over the flamin' country, kid. Yer team's worried about ya, yer on rogue status-"

I scoffed outloud at that, "I'm _always_ on rogue status. They put me on _rogue status _if I go camping without telling them first."

"Probably always on it cuz yer always looking for trouble."

I grunted in frustration and held out the cuffs again, "You gonna gimme the keys that this thing or what?"

"Why don't you tell me what the hell yer doin' her first. Then I'll decide if you get it off." He folded his arms across his chest. See why I hate him?

"Camping," I answered to be difficult.

"Cougar…" he let me know that he didn't find me funny. Of course he didn't that man never laughed.

"I thought I had one more day on you. That might've been enough time." I decided to just talk or he'd start getting really angry. "How'd you find me?" Not to be conceited or anything, but I knew I had to be one of the harder people for him to track. He could only go by scent, no one to ask if they'd seen me, and my plane hopping had to have been confusing.

"Stark called me up-"

"That rat," I muttered.

"He said he was goin' out of town n' didn't want me breakin' in and scarin' the day lights outta his assistant. He said ya went down ta New Orleans."

"How'd you find me down there? I didn't even know where I was."

"I got halfway there and the cajun called me."

"That dirty _swamp_ rat," I said louder that time.

He said ya might be in over yer head n' if I was gonna find ya anyway I might as well catch up before ya got in real trouble."

"Unbelievable," I shook my head, "You guys trained me n' ya still don't trust me?

He leaned in closer and pointed a finger at me, " You answer me straight up, kid. Do you honestly think you can handle whatever it is that yer up to alone?"

Now I scowled but couldn't answer. All right… I was in a little deep. And I had no plan other than to kick ass. There were 40 to 50 mutant kids down there. What was I supposed to do after I broke them out? Make them walk 60 miles to my mom's house so she could fix them a huge dinner? Sarcasm, tho she probably would.

Takingm y silence for what it was, he leaned back against a log and asked, "SO what're you doing?"

I sighed, hating him all over again. I decided that I wasn't going to give anymore til he did. "I want this thing off of my wrist, first." Beyond angry at the offensive metal, I held open my free hand and waited. He looked like he was going to say no, but finally pulled the little key from his pocket and tossed it to me. I freed myself and put both into the center of the fire. It probably wouldn't melt, but they wouldn't work right after that either. I looked up at him and said flatly, "Don't ever put me in hand cuffs, Wolverine." He remained silent.

I started my story, "You know Amber's dating a cop, right?"

"Wick. Yea?"

"So I never liked him. He gave me the creeps, but he was head of the mutant task force. We worked with them and handed over nay mutant we took down to them. Anyway," I was horrible at telling stories, "When I was in jail-thanks to you-there was a kid in there who'd been in trouble with Wick before. He told me that the reform camp we let Wick send the kids to was really some place where they made them work or 'did stuff to them'. When I was back ta being one of the good guys, I told Amber. She didn't believe me."

"So she didn't believe you them. But I'm assuming yer here cuz ya found something that was wrong with this Wick guy's story. Why not call in the cavalry?" When I didn't answer he shook his head, "She can't be in love with this guy so much that she'd let him hurt kids."

"She's changed a lot, Logan," I admitted. "I mean, I don't think she'd let this slip, but…" a shrug finished that sentence. "When you guys made her team leader, she stopped being so cheerful. Then when Joseph came back, she got stricter. Things got a little better when Wick came into the picture, but then it became obvious that I didn't like him. I started avoiding the school when he was around and she took that WAY to personally. Then, once when he was on a mission with us, he made some comment about me bein' a wild card and that I'd be a little too insubordinate ta ever be allowed on his force. I don't know if that's what made things really bad or what, but after that, she started taking anything that I did as a direct act of defiance. Like she'd get mad if I took the class out of the dojo and into the woods to train without letting her know first. Or if things got rough on a mission. I'm in control, Logan, but sometimes, yea, my claws slip and people get cut, or if I gotta grab someone real quick, they're gonna get scratched. Its better than being run over by a car.

"But she'd act like I was doin' it on purpose, and she _really_ hated it when I'd go out at night and do my patrols. You're the one that told me ta do it if I needed ta vent or something. I've been doing that since we graduated in New York. I don't know why that'd bug her so much. I'd follow protocol and even call in Wick's goon squad if it was a mutant criminal like she wanted." I couldn't read his expression. Usually I didn't unload this much at one time. My problems are usually my own, but this time I felt I needed to justify myself. I was tired of being the only one on my side.

"She been actin' like this toward anyone else?" He finally asked me.

"No," I sighed, "But everyone else toes the line. But I'm not the only one who noticed she's especially hard on me. Ana's talked to her a couple times, Conner too, just seeing if there was something going on. But even Jake's had to get between us a few time and told _her_ to calm down."

This seemed to bother him even more, but he did that thing where he suddenly changed the topic. "Montana's not in yer team's jurisdiction."

"Montana aint in no one's jurisdiction," I corrected.

"The Seattle team's supposed ta cover it."

I shrugged. No one wanted to cover Montana. It was boring and a little dangerous for mutants. Not an open minded state and everyone had a gun. I bash it with love though.

"So what do we know?" he asks, reminding me of old training sessions.

"Electric fence; tall with razor wire at the top. Five buildings; one mess hall, one that looks like a house, the kids dorm, the guards quarters and an unknown, but frequently used building. The guards dragged a few kids into it throughout the day. One didn't come back out. There's 50 to 60 kids, 20 guards, that I could count, and a handful of white coats," I stifled a yawn. "The guards change shifts every four hours. Regular patrol patterns."

He nodded, "Good job, kid. How many hours of observation?"

I shook my head, "Not enough."

"All right, I'll go check it out. You better get some sleep."

I rolled my eyes but knew he was right. I was exhausted.

He didn't ask which way the camp was, just sniffed and set out. Enhanced senses were SO overrated…

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K, sorry I didn't do the review replies, maybe next time. But yay, had to give you guys SOMETHING for being so patient. The next chapter has MUCHO action and MANY answer. Hopefully this one didn't make you too sleepy :D Enjoy! R&R Please.


	16. Chapter 16

**Review Replies:**

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Yay! Got review from you! I'm trying to get them out

12Kirby12: Of COURSE Wolverine catches up to her. Wolverine's Awesome! But also a big pain in Cougars butt :D

Dusel: I try to keep Cougar from being all, what's it called? Mary Sue? I guess its working.

Dipsey: Thanks! And we gotta have wolverine in there, right?

Wolfy: I still don't know how you can read that early in the morning. I barely watch TV.

Wildelf: Here you go! Enjoy!

**Quote: **(As Kitty phases thru a wall in the middle of an assembly)

Emma Frost: "This, children, is Kitty Pryde, who apparently feels the need to make a grand entrance."Kitty: :I'm sorry. I was busy remembering to put on all my clothes."

**Chapter 16**

The next day, Wolverine came and went, checking out the camp and making arrangements, I supposed. That was fine, let him iron out the details. I made a few trips to survey myself. Around sunset he showed up and told me the game plan. It was similar to what I'd planned, he was the one who trained me, after all.

We would attack in the middle of the night, with in the last half hour of a guards shift so they'd be more bored, less alert and their replacements most likely wouldn't be awake yet. We'd keep our heads down, stay incognito as long as possible. Get the kids and get out. Revenge was an after thought. Or it was supposed to be.

In the middle of the night, under a half moon, we silently hiked to the back corner of the compound, where the electrical box for the fence was located.

"Watch yer eyes," he warned me, unsheathing a set of claws. I turned my back to avoid the sparks blinding me. The land I was facing looked odd. Small mounds of dirt…Not natural hills, but not random enough to have just been left there from grounds keeping. A small noise came from the back of my throat.

"Wolverine…" I whispered, reaching back and touching his arm a moment after he sliced a hole in the chain link.

He followed my gaze and confirmed my suspicions by more suggesting than ordering, "Keep movin', kid.

I turned my back on the graves and followed him in.

Get the kids and get out.

The first guard we encountered, Logan took out. I didn't argue over him using his claws. That guard most likely received more mercy than he deserved…The second guard too. When we got to the guards bunker, Wolverine motioned that he would go in. I was supposed to go to the kids dormitory.

The lock on the outside was simple enough to pick, but my impatience made me take two tries to get it. I cracked open the door, checking for a guard. When I found none, I slipped in and walked down the rows of bunk beds until I found Nicky. The slowly changing colors in his hair were duller than I remembered. When I clamped my hand over his mouth, the color shifts became wild and his eyes shot open. He struggled for a second.

"Nicky, do you remember me?" I whispered, making him freeze at my voice. The boy nodded rapidly so I removed my hand. "Good. Now we're gonna get outta here, but I need yer help. We gotta be VERY quiet and wake up everyone else and get them ta the front door, OK?"

Again he nodded and we set to work. In no time, the room was full of whispers, kids waking each other up with 'The X-Men are here'.

Only two were there, but I wasn't going to burst their bubbles with that tidbit. Once the group was assembled by the door, I cut through them to the front. "OK guys," I had to say in something louder than a whisper, "We gotta move quick and quiet. There's a hold in the south side of the fence. We want you away from the compound incase-"

"Wait a minute," one boy spoke up, "Why should we follow you? You're the one who put me in here."

There was some agreement on that and I grunted with impatience, "Cuz I didn't know they were sending ya to a place like this."

"Where are the other X-Men?" a redheaded girl wanted to know, "Aren't there usually explosions when the X-Men are here?" That was followed by more murmurs.

"We're the quiet X-Men, OK? Lets move," I ordered. When I turned, the door was opening on its own, I stepped aside to see a guard aim a rifle at the children. I sighed, "Crap," drawing the man's attention and he turned to aim at me in surprise.

I moved faster, grabbing the gun and pointing the barrel in a safer direction before twisting it from his grip and smashing it into his forehead. He dropped before he even knew it was coming. I grabbed his ear piece and shoved it in a pocket. When I turned back I got looks of shock.

"OK, that was cool," one said from the back.

"Great, lets go." I was followed after that. If you ever need a teenager to do something without arguing, just act cool first, then its all good.

Leading them across the yard, I felt bad for making them run to keep up-they looked malnutrition. But gunfire could be heard coming from the guards quarters. As we reached the hole in the fence, a loud siren started up. "OK guys," I yelled, no need to be quiet at that point, "I need you guys ta go south. Keep the moon in front of you 'n slightly to yer right. Stay together. Wait for an X-Man ta come get ya. Don't trust anyone else, got it? They'll use the safe word…" Guards started rushing out of the buildings; more guards than we'd anticipated. My mind blanked on a safe word. We'd used dozens at the New York school. Nothing came up.

"What safe word?" Nicky prompted.

"Snickers," I said what popped into my head.

No one questioned my choice, but one girl did ask, "You're not coming with us?

"No," I started walking away, "I got a score ta settle." Over my shoulder, I ordered, "You guys get outta here."

Plugging in the stolen ear piece, I heard orders being given.

'More men to the bunker.'

'Find the subjects.'

'Take him down, its only one guy.'

Then I heard the voice I was waiting for, "Get another man up here, we gotta keep him safe."

I didn't care who he was talking about. I just knew it was him. "Hey, Wick," I called into the earpiece, "Remember when I said I was comin' for ya?"

"Cougar?" he answered back, "You think you've got a chance? You're partners going down and I've got backup. Even if you got those kids out of the fence, we can round them up. They've got nowhere to go. And if we lose some? Your X-Men will just bring me more. Walk away now and you might survive."

My answer was a snarl to which he only laughed at. Some one threw a grenade somewhere. To be nice, I should have gone to see how Wolverine was faring. But, come one, it was Wolverine. As Wick spoke to me, I listened in to the background. Shots were muffled, but close to him. I headed to the house where a guard stood at the door and people moved behind light up windows on the second floor. Amateurs.

Sneaking behind the first guard, I kicked his feet from under him. Shmuck didn't even see me coming. A good sternum kick, pull away his gun, he'd stay down long enough for me to get my targets.

The stairs creaked, as quiet as I tried to be, but there was so much chatter from the room that they wouldn't have heard me anyway. Looking under the door, there were three definite pairs of boots, a set of sneakers and a pair of slippers were farther away. Most action movies would have me bust down the door, guns blazing. I don't use guns though. Lets go more comedy: I knocked.

Any conversations inside stopped, then Wick ordered, "It's our back up, unlock the door."

Occasionally I keep a pair of escrimas with me; short two foot sticks of Korean origin. I pulled one from its holster in my coat as the guard's boots clunked to the door. With my powers on 'high', he didn't notice me right away. My escrima thudded him in the middle of his forehead and he dropped. "Wrong," I corrected Wick, as guns aimed at me.

"Cougar," he shook his head, "What are you here to prove? Nothing. You attacked my camp, scared the living daylights out of those _poor children_, You even killed some of the rehabilitation counselors," he gestured toward a guard. His voice dripped with sarcastic sympathy, "Then, tragically, before we could reason with you, and before we could stop them, one of the guards shot you, fearing for his own life". He motioned for my execution.

I flung the escrima at the bare light bulb hanging from the center of the room. People flinched; guards pulled their triggers; I fell backwards, hearing the bullets whiz by my face; and the bulb shattered, engulfing the room in darkness. Everyone went blind, except for me.

People panic when they lose a primary sensory. Random bullets screamed above me, shattering the old plaster and covering me with white powder. I army crawled across the room.

"Stop shooting!" Wick hollered, "You're wasting bullets. Get a light up here," he ordered into his handset. The man behind him cowered, covering his ears.

"Whats the matter?" I rose to a crouch and slunk across the floor, "You aint afraid of the dark, are ya?" My hand shot out and pulled the first guards flashlight from his belt. He spun a 360, waving a baton and nearly took out the other one. Idea!

"Marco," I breathed into Guard 2's ear and jumped back. As planned, he swung his gun up and blew away his buddy. They had vests on, don't worry.

"Damn it, Steve," Guard 1 groaned from the floor.

"Pollo," I laughed, still on the move. Steve didn't fire again.

"Shoot her," Wick gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Screw this ghost shit, man," the first guard got to his knees and crawled away.

"Get back here, you idiot, you have a gun!" Wick tried again.\

"Lotta good it did him," I observed.

Wick pulled his own hand gun and fired off two rounds in my general direction.

"Cold," I lied (he was a little close).

Two more shots, "Colder, colder…ya almost got Stevie there, though."

"Where the hell's my light!"

Steve stumbled over the first guard that I'd taken out on his way to the door.

"So are you Dr. Parks," I asked the shaking man to the side of Wick, "Or the guys who's funding this operation? Mr. Kavallos, I recall." Names are dangerous, and Wick knew it.

"I'm…I'm no one…" he stammered.

My bet was doctor. A sniveling-do-what-he's-told genius doctor. Millionaires who fund experimentation on children aren't so cowardly. Either way, I grabbed him by the lapels, off balancing him, planted my foot on his inner hip and pulled him down with me. As I rolled onto my back, my foot popped up right as he was completely off centered and he soared above me. Tome Nage. Judo move. Doesn't hurt you if you know how to fall correctly, rolling away and back to your feet. If you don't know, though, you do a face plant. The doctor did a very painful looking face plant and remained on the floor.

"So you think yer gonna get away with this?" I slunk around the room, knowing he still had bullets.

Even in the dark, his eyes wide and trying to see me, he smirked, "I know I am, Cougar. But who knows about you."

The first guard by the door was waking up, groaning and muttering. I hadn't disarmed him.

"What're you doing with the children?" I asked.

"It doesn't matter. They're just mutants. Trash of humanity. No one cares what happens to them. No one will care what happens to the rest that your X-Men will hand over to me. You don't seem to understand here, Cougar. This is _my_ game." A guard finally got control of the giant searchlight and started pointing it at the house. "This is _my_ game and _I_ win. And I'll kill every last one of those kids when we get them back."

The light flooded the room as my feet left the floor. Wick saw me midair, started to raise his gun, even, but I landed my flying kick square in his chest. He crashed through the old singled paned window like it was paper. Regrettably, there was a porch with a roof that broke his fall, but nothing except dirt cushioned him from the drop off of that.

I disarmed the guard and gave the sniveling doctor one last rib kick before climbing through the broken glass. I dropped down to all fours less than a foot from where Wick was trying to get up. I kicked him back and got to my own feet.

"You're..only..making this…worse on…yourself," he panted.

That made me frown, "Yer not the most perceptive are ya?" Letting him get back up, we squared off. "What're you doin' with those kids?" I repeated.

"Not kids…subjects," he shook his head and kept sneering. Was this guy brain damaged or what? Clearly he was losing this fight. Something wasn't right, but before I could follow up on that instinct, his next words made my blood run hot. "I'll get the monsters from your precious school, too. Amber won't say no to me. All those mutants, and that little Emma? We'll keep her alive for awhile. Mutations aren't supposed to manifest so young. We'll have to dissect her really carefully-"

My claws went for his throat, but I reigned myself in at the last second, raking them across his face. Wick screamed and pulled away, falling back to the earth.

"My face! You cut my face you b-"

"You'll be luck if that's all I cut ," I stalked toward him menacingly, "You disgusting waste of DNA. You even _think_ about comin' near _my_ school again I'll-"

Invisible hands tore me up and away 25 feet where they slammed me into the dust and held me down long enough for the vines to keep me there.

"Stand down, Cougar," Dragon ordered from above me.

A snarl was my chosen reply as my claws sliced through the vines. Amber rushed to Wick, calling for Medic over her shoulder.

"Don't you dare heal him," I spit, jumping to my feet.

Joseph stood in front of me, blocking my movement. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"Me? What the hell are YOU doing?" I tried to shove past him

Reaching out, he halfway ripped the X emblem off of my shoulder, yelling, "You think you deserve that? You think the X-Men kill people? They destroy a camp for mutant kids just because they don't like the guy running it?"

"Look around you!" I yelled right back, "This is a _death_ camp. There's guards with guns, electrified razor wire fences-"

"They're troubled teens," Amber defended the camp, leading a limping, sorry looking Frank toward the jet.

"Half the kids in our school were troubled teens," I snapped, "We used to take them in and help them. Ever since he started sniffing around we send them off ta jail?"

"He _is_ helping them!" she screamed at me.

"Amber," Frank interrupted her, "Please, anger's not going to help this situation. Cougar, if you have a problem with me, take it up with _me_. You've terrified those kids tonight, and there's no excuse for what you did to the staff-"

"You dirty two face son of a bitch," I lunged at him with all intent and purpose to rip out his lungs.

My team saw and recognized that look. Dragon intercepted me, literally bouncing me off of his ches tand shoving me back to where another set of arms grabbed a hold of me.

"You still think she hasn't completely lost it? He asked whoever was behind me as I jerked away and seethed, "Get offa me."

"Restrain her in the jet before she kills anyone else," Crayola ordered.

"Lets go, Fangs," Jake said quietly to the top of my head, replacing his grip on one of my arms. When I tured to look up at him he wouldn't look me in the eye. "For once just do what you're told. You won't like the outcome if you don't."

I went quietly only long enough to be away from the others. "Jake, do you honestly think I woulda done this just cuz I don't like Wick?" I pulled free again, "Jake." He finally looked back at me, "I'm asking you ta trust me. Please." Silence so I continued, "Just look around."

"I see dead bodies, Fangs," he came off angrily, "I see dead bodies, and that doesn't make sense to me because you always said that X-Men don't kill people."

"X-Men don't. But Wolverine does," I leveled with him. "If you don't trust me, at least trust Logan. He wouldn't have come here if he thought it was just something stupid."

His hazel eyes stared hard at me, finally, holding up his hands, he took a step back, letting me go. "You just remember this, Fangs. I'm trusting you when you wouldn't trust me."

"You can guilt me later," I muttered, marching back to the circle of X-Men, Wick and one guard (innocently unarmed). "There's bodies buried outside of the fence."

"Damnit, Jake," Dragon ignored my words, "You were supposed to control her."

"Just listen to her, OK?" he growled.

"Hey," I snapped at Joseph, "I said bodies."

Wick quickly covered, "The resident therapeutic dog passed away three days ago. The children held a funeral for him. Its to encourage a healthy grieving process."

"Cougar," Amber refused to look at me, "If you don't get your ass on the jet, I'm gonna put you there myself. And _I_ wont let you leave."

"There's more than one grave back there," I replied, just as angrily.

No one moved to check it out.

"We put these kids in here, Amber," I cried and got nothing, still. "What is wrong with you people?"

"Perhaps," a voice called from behind me, "I can be of some assistance." Emma Frost sliced through the crowd with Cyclops on her right. Wolverine sauntered behind, looking like he'd been set on fire at one point. I glared at him for leaving me there to defend myself. Combustion is no excuse.

Let's see the damage here," the White Queen reached out as if to touch Wick's half-way healed face, but with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand, his eyes went vacant and he dropped to the ground.

"Frank!" Amber yelped, trying to catch him.

"Leave him in the dirt, dear. Its where he belongs."

"Where were _you_," I growled low at Logan.

"Had ta show these two ta the party."

"What'd ya call them for?" I gestured toward my team.

He shrugged, "Wasn't me."

"Frank called us," Amber snapped her fingers in front of the man's face, getting no reaction. "He said Cougar had gone crazy. She was destroying the camp, killing the staff, scaring the kids. What did you do to him?" She sounded more tired than angry at this point.

"I shut down his mind so that his powers of influence wouldn't be clouding your judgment," Frost explained without really explaining.

"Wick's a mutant?" was all I got out of it.

"No." That woman was the definition of disdainful, but it was aimed at the man on the ground, so it didn't annoy me. "Mr. Wick and his scientists here have found ways to extract mutant powers and place them into ordinary people. Thus far, they're only been successful with forms of telepathy. Since the average person only uses ten percent of their brains, and all have the potential to be some what psychic, it was the easiest for them to steal. His stolen gift is the power of persuasion. From what I can pick up from his disgusting little mind, he was sent to infiltrate the X-Men and convince them to forfeit mutant children who wouldn't be missed. Thieves, vandals, homeless runaways." Her expression remained cool and neutral when she informed Amber, "I'm sorry, dear, but you've been duped."

"Oh my God," she whispered, eyes wide and finally looking around at the 'camp'.

"With Cougar's passive telepathic abilities," Frost continued, "She was immune to his charm."

Cyclops took over from there, "We have to bring back any notes, computers or files. If this gets back into the wrong hands, it could be extremely dangerous."

My team was still in shock so I spoke up, "The kids headed south. The safe word is Snickers," that sounded ever more dumb at that time. "There's one of the doctors upstairs. The other one is down in New Orleans. Gambit's keeping an eye on him. The big money comes from some guy named Kavallos. The bodies," I took a deep breath, "The graves are by the hole in the fence. Wolverine knows where."

"Cougar," Amber, still on the ground, looked over to me, "Cougar, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.."

"Yea," I turned my back on her; on all of them. "Me too." My feet started North.

"Wait," Dragon started the sentence in his usual arrogant tone but softened it as he continued, "Where are you going?"

"Away," I answered shortly. "_You_ clean up the mess."

"Cougar, wait, please." That last word made me stop. I'd never heard it from him before directed at me, but I still didn't turn back. "Come back with us. Come back to the X-Men."

I looked up to the billions of stars in the Montana sky, then down to the dust covering my boots. "No," I decided then and there, finishing the removal of my X patch and dropping it as I left.

"Cougar…" Amber called to me. When I didn't acknowledge her, she turned to Wolverine, "Logan."

Either his response was to quiet for me to hear or he didn't give one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Mucho answers, right? Or did it make more questions? Review please? Please? I'll keep typing if you do :D


	17. Chapter 17

**Review Replies:**

Emmy: Yuppers, and heres another update for you. Glad you're still reading!

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Haha. Wolverine and violence are kind of hand in hand, but I have to keep trying to write him a little settled down. Like, he's supposed to be setting an example for the students (even the graduated ones) but even HE has to keep reminding himself that. For example, I had him kill people in that chapter, when in previous stories, I've said that one of the most important rules of being an X-Man is no killing. I might be playing on that theme later in this story, we'll see.

Winter Warrior: Ohh, I love threats :D. Technically, I could have stopped at that last chapter, she DID leave, after all. But there's still more to tell and I still have to explain the whole captured-imprisoned thing at the beginning of this story.

Kirby12: Nope, not the end. I've still got a lot left, actually. I really don't like reading fanfics that have 20-some chapters, I just think in my head (wow, that's WAY too long to read). But I guess I'm getting enough people reading these, and I'm pretty sure you guys are enjoying them, so I'll continue, probably into the 20-some chapters.

Wolf: I have mind numbing repetitive jobs that I can use to think up these story lines, characters, scenes, and dialogs. Its really quite pathetic. And after reading your poems this week, I really don't feel THAT talented. I am, after all, stealing the original, X-Man/mutant ideas from Stan Lee. Which reminds me…I should put up another disclaimer…

Dipsey: Oh yes, Cougar is very much feeling betrayed (and this chapter will have a little more explanation on that.) As for the forgiveness thing, you'll just have to keep reading. You weren't gonna stop were you? Cuz I'm a needy-review-hungry 'author'…and if you stopped reading and reviewing, I'd be very sad…

Dryad Mage: Ah, but Cougar will explain her reasoning for her decision in this chapter, just wait and see. Hopefully it'll make more sense to you.

**Thanks everyone!**

**Quote:**

Booth: You're a cold fish.

Dr. Brennan: Well you're a superstitious moron.

Boothe: Get a soul!

Dr. Brennan: Get a brain!

-Bones (Before they were partnered up)

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own the X-Men, Marvel Universe, any of the Marvel characters that I mention or write up in here. I own Cougar and her team and random little people in my brain that I let live in these fics. That's all. Don't sue…I'd be crushed.

**Chapter 17**

State parks have trails; trails lead to roads; roads lead to parking lots. I only found one vehicle, but I guess it wasn't peak camping season. As I went around the front of the pickup to break in, I spotted the snuffed out, chewed up butt of a cigar on the ground. I decided to stretch out on the cold hood and wait for Wolverine to show up.

After an hour or so, he trudged up a side path, followed by Jake. After a quick sniff of the air he asked, "What're you doin' here?"

"Waitin' for you. Yer gonna give me a ride to my home town."

He snorted at my order, "That so?"

I slid off the hood and waited by the passenger door, "Well, I coulda just stolen the truck 'n left you two out here ta walk back into town. But I'm being nice." I pulled the handle impatiently.

He scowled (as always) and unlocked the doors.

"Wow. I remember when you had ta threaten me with therapy sessions ta get me in the car…" I muttered, knowing it'd be heard.

Jake slid in beside me, unusually quiet. Bench seats can suck, but I was cold from waiting and they were both over heated from hiking, so I didn't complain of the closeness.

As Logan carefully guided the car down the switchbacks, I broke the quiet. "Why are you here?" I asked Jake tactfully.

He stared out the windshield, "Lets just say I needed the fresh air." It was unusual of him to avoid eye contact, and I watched his face darkened as he confessed, "You know, Fangs, we put a lot of those kids in there. You and me."

"Yea. I know."

"You're really done?" he looked at me finally.

I sighed. It would bother me not to know, so I had to ask, "He said 'back'," I stared at the man, "Dragon said, 'come _back_ to the X-Men'."

The two men glanced at each other and Wolverine advised, "Best ta just tell her the truth, kid, or she'll be pissed at you when she finds out."

"OK, _she_" I interrupted, annoyed, "is sitting right here."

"There was a vote," Jake answered me.

"Excuse me?" I felt my eyebrows go up. This sounded very bad.

He really didn't look like he wanted to be the one to tell me this. "There was a vote on whether or not you should…be allowed…to be on the team."

"And…it didn't go in my favor, I take it."

"No," he admitted, "But I voted for you."

"Were you the only one?" I asked, a little bitterly.

"Well, I'm sure Ana would have, but she's down in Mexico visiting family…" he tried to help.

I rolled my eyes to Wolverine, "And you knew about this." I didn't make it a question.

"I told ya yer team was worried."

"Worried and pissed are completely different, Logan and you know it," I growled back. As we pulled out of town I directed, "Go North," before continuing my rant, "And speaking of pissed, I'm still mat at you for pulling that whole 'test' crap. Its yer fault just as much as Wick's that the team fell apart."

I watched him shake his head while keeping his eyes on the road, "Yer team was having problems before that. Why do ya think we had ta test ya?"

He had a point. Wick exasperated the problem, but it was there before too. Maybe I was the problem. Nah.

Crossingm y arms over my stomach, I muttered, "Yea, well it was still a sleazy thing ta do and I still blame you."

"Yea, go ahead, kid," he replied quietly. It was the closest thing to an apology I'd get.

"If it was Frank starting the problems," Jake pressed, "Then why not come back?"

"Frank didn't start the problems," I corrected, "He just made them worse." I sighed, trying to explain, "Frank made you believe him, right?"

"Yea. We all truste dhim."

"But _you_ trusted me too, right?"

"Yea…" I lost him.

"Well, he made people trust him, but he didn't make people _not_ trust me. They decided that on their own." His frown was an understanding one so I continued, "If I've been with these guys for all these years, and they still can't trust me…they still don't have my back…" I faltered, struggling to find the right words without seeming too wimpy. I took a breath and finished, "I'm not gonna do what we do with people that don't trust me. I don't see the point."

Jake laid his hand on my arm. My skin was still chilled from the cold and the heat from it gave me goose bumps. "I got your back, Fangs."

"I know," I sighed again. To myself I thought, _But that's not enough to keep me here…_

We were all quiet for a bit until he gave the apology I was looking for earlier, "I'm sorry, Fangs."

"Yea," I said, "me too."

XXX

I hung around my home town for a month, watching the media frenzy from the quiet safety of MonDak (Montana/North Dakota, for those of you who forgot).

Twenty seven mutant bodies were unearthed. Rather than keeping it quiet, the X-Men wanted to let the public know (Meaning New York decided and the Denver branch had to go with it, and take the heat).

The Denver Branch was in the center of the storm because we had handed over the mutant children to Wick in the first place. Amber held a press conference, apologizing for what happened to the kids and vowing to look further into any place that offered to take in mutants. She named me as the driving force to the discovery. I think it was her way of apologizing. She gave the news stations nicer pictures of me, which was better than the mug shots.

The mutant task force was disbanded and the officers reassigned. Supposedly Wick was working alone and none of the other men had a clue what was going on. Right…

The kids that were rescued were given choices of going home (or where ever), or to the Xavier school of their choice. None of them chose the Denver Branch. Another big surprise.

Across the nation, mutant rights protests sprang up. Those that were for legalized equality (mutants still weren't in the constitution), often had violent clashes with the surprising number of organizations advocating the experimentation on mutants and their powers. Some felt mutants were less than human, so it was OK to test things on them that would be considered immoral to test on 'real' people. Others thought that mutants needed to be researched, and that Wick's idea was wonderful: find the key to mutations and destroy it (or harness it for the military, or for the churches, or for themselves). I didn't get their point of view either, but I'm biased.

My sister, one of the most public faces of mutants, was invited to the White House to speak with the president on the subject. Thankfully, she kept her big mouth shut about us being sisters (said with a sister's love).

After a week of sitting at home, I was all rested up. After two, I was bored. After three, I was restless. By the forth week I was going nuts.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my home and family, but things had changed. My parents had divorced and my mom was remarried. Dad had left the farm and lived in town. My dog, who'd been adopted by my brother, had gotten old and fat (though he still loved me). But those weren't the only changes. I'd changed. Fairview was a great little farming community where the biggest problem was too many trucks on the highway during sugar beet season. I was a trained superhero who had saved cities countless times and the world a couple of times too. Everything was just so much simpler there, but I had bigger things on my mind.

Eventually, I had to return to Denver.

Back to plane hopping, I arrived in the cities huge airport. My pickup was gone from the bus stop, but it'd been a month, so I guess I shouldn't have expected miracles. But there are busses at bus stops, so I used those to get to the hotel.

When I got to the school, I stood outside for twenty minutes, debating on what to do. Should I knock? Knock and walk in? Sneak in and back out? Sneak in and talk to everyone? My head started to hurt. I hopped up the steps and reached for the bell.

The door swung open and there stood Jake, "You're _really_ going to rind the door bell, Fangs?"

I smiled a little, despite myself, "Don't call me Fangs."

His own smile faded just a little, "You're just here for your stuff…"

"Yea…" I shrugged. What else could I say?

He clapped and rubbed his hands together, reminding me of an old man, as he stepped aside for me, "Well, I picked up your truck from the impound lot. I had the shop class rotated and balance your tires, do an oil change, transmission fluid changed, filled up and even gave her a wax job."

We walked up the stairs together. "Thanks, Jake," I sighed a little relieved and very grateful.

Once we got to my bedroom door he asked, "Are you going to say good bye to everyone?"

I still hadn't figured that one out yet. Frozen, with my hand on the knob, I decided, "You wanna assemble everyone in t he gym?"

"How much time do you need?"

I opened the door and my eyes passed over the room, "Gimme 15 minutes."

Really, five would have sufficed. All I grabbed was a duffel bag of clothes, a spare coat, and my uniforms, which I removed the X's from. I looked over my nearly bare jewelry box, taking a locked I'd gotten from my mother a couple Christmas's ago and a jade cougar pendant that Jake had gotten me for my birthday. Nothing sentimental, I just thought it was pretty. I halfway closed the box before changing my mind and taking one last thing. For our graduation from the X-Men academy, the boys had gotten watches with the X emblem and the girls had received delicate silver chains with the encircled X's on them. I threw mine over my head and tucked it under my shirt. Where you are going is usually more important than where you've been, but your past shapes who you are in the present. I'd been trained as an X-Man, and just because I was leaving them didn't mean that I was going to forget all that they'd taught me.

Which was why I had to explain to the students why I was leaving. X-Men don't cut and run.

I was one of the first in the gym and watched the students file in, followed by the teachers, and finally my teammates. Amber and Ana, though appeared to be gone for the day. I tried to think of what to say. With a sigh, I decided to just wing it.

Pushing myself from the wall, I moved to the from of the bleachers, "OK, quiet down," I drew everyone's attention and caused a murmur through the room. "I'm assuming that you were told that I was on a mission when all that negative publicity was going on about me," I paused and took a deep breath. The next sentence was still an open wound, "And you've gotten the story about those kids that were at Wick's mutant camp." All eyes were on me.

I'm not really that good at winging public speeches…So I tried a different route, "What's one of the most important things I tell you guys to do?" Its quiet for a few seconds before they realize its not a rhetorical question.

"Follow our instincts?" a couple reply.

"Right, follow yer instincts." Another pause as I worded the next sentence right, "And right now, my instincts, my inner voice, is telling me that being here, right now, isn't where I should be. I'm leaving the X-Men." There was more than a murmur after that and I had to raise my voice, "I want you all to know that it doesn't have anything to do with the school. Its not the X-Men's fault, or yours. I just…I need ta sort things out." As the students continued to talk not-so-quietly to themselves, I turned to Lisa, who actually had a look of complete surprise on her face. Apparently the X-Men hadn't told the teachers everything.

"Lisa, I'd like Jake ta take over my martial arts classes. He's been subbing them long enough and knows my routines. And Ana should take over my meditation class, if you don't mind."

And with that, I turned at walked out of the gym.

It wasn't that far of a walk from the gym to the garage. I only got a couple yards before my whole team came busting after me.

"Don't you think you're being a little over-dramatic?" Joseph accused first.

"Watch it," Jake defended me, going ignored.

"No. Not really," I let his words roll off my back. I wasn't here to fight.

"Cougar," Conner started next, "We said we were sorry. We really are-"

"Its not about that. Its not about you. This is about me."

"I thought you said that when you're an X-Man, every decision you makes effects the X-Men," Joseph twisted my own words.

"That applied ta you when you were the team leader. Its different." My words came out carefully.

"Hey, guys," Jake broke in, "Maybe you should give her a little space."

That stopped Dragon, "Space? She's acting childish. YOU need to stop catering to her mood swings."

"What?" I stopped now, completely annoyed.

"Childish, huh? Jake looked annoyed too. "Seems to me _you're_ the one who's throwing a tantrum because you're not getting your way."

Joseph snapped, "I'm looking out for the team."

"I'm looking out for you," Jake took a threatening step forward, "and you need to Back. Off."

"OK, guys," Conner pushed himself between them, "Lets cool it."

I rolled my eyes and turned my back on the lot of them. Unfortunately they followed me again.

"I don't see how it's different," he pressed, following on my heels.

"You chose ta be leader," I pointed out, still walking. This was turning into a fight. Then he had to push me just enough for me to break…

"You chose to be an X-Man, too-"

"I was sixteen!" I turned to yell at him angrily. All three men stopped dead in their tracks. Taking a breath I said quieter, though no less angrily, "I was sixteen years old and told that if I left the school, Sabertooth would come kill me, or Magneto would kidnap me, or slave-haters would hang me." I threw up my hands, "Your biggest worry was that your parents didn't like you using your powers? Mine thought I was murdered! I was sent to a slave camp and a desolate island where I starved, and trained by a psychopath who wanted to torture and kill me! The world screwed me over. Staying with the X-Men was my _only_ choice."

Conner looked like he was going to say something, but kept his mouth closed. What could he say? Joseph looked dumbfounded over my verbal outburst. Jake still looked like he wanted to punch someone.

I continued my speech calmer, "I've given enough to the X-Men. I have a choice now, 'n I'm choosin' ta leave."

They didn't follow me after that.

I got to my pick up in the garage and stopped. Leaning up against the box and with my head in my arms, I told my self to just breathe.

I hadn't meant to unload like that. My teammates never knew about the night that Wolverine had stopped me from running away. They'd always just assumed that I'd left once, but stayed after he'd spoken to them about Blackstone and me.

The door opened behind me and a single set of footsteps stopped to my left.

An arm draped over my hunched shoulders. "Come on, Fangs. It's a good night to go get drunk."

I let out a short laugh at Jake's words and replied without raising my head, "I don't drink."

"Well, yea, but I do. I'll drink enough for both of us to get a _horrible_ headache in the morning. Come on."

I finally looked up at him and his crooked smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"What the hell," I shrugged against the weight of his arm. What's the worst that could happen?

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

R&R Please! Not a lot of action, but some answers and angst, I guess. Hope you enjoy!


	18. Chapter 18

**Review Replies:**

Dipsey: Thanks, I know, her team was horrible. I feel a little guilty about making them so mean, but, I don't know, it works I guess. And yes, Jake's around for comic relief and to soften Cougar up a bit. Thanks for your reviews, I appreciate them all!

WinterWarrior: Not a lot of action in this one either. I'm getting bad at that, but maybe you'll still like it? Kind of some good interactions.

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Yuppers, the adventure continues. And yes, her team is fully of meanies…And I'm almost positive that this chapter came really quickly. I'm catching up to what I've written so far and I've only got a few more chapters (One or two) until Cougar's caught up with the present, where she's captured at the beginning of this story. Did that make sense? You'll see.

Dusel: I know this seems to kind of go all over the place, but I figured this will probably be my last Cougar fic, so I wanted to have her do lots of things. Like I said to X-Nerd above, there's only one or two more chapters until she's in the present tense and captured by Blackstone again. I don't know how much will be written after that, we'll see what my muse has in store.

Kirby: I'm still not sure if I'm going to completely cut her off from the X-Men. I kind of have the ending of this fic in my head, but there's two ways it could go…maybe I'll write two endings and them people can choose which one they like? lol

**Quote:** "Good times are ahead! Or behind. Because they sure aren't here." Garfield the Cat

**Chapter 18**

What's the worst that could happen?

I really need to stop using that phrase.

Two and a half hours later, numerous pool and dart games played, Jake was getting buzzed and I was getting bored. Pool wasn't really my game, but I'd murdered him at darts. We were back to the billiards table and it appeared that the more he drank the better he got. As he lined up his next shot, I happened to glance up as Wolverine and Professor Xavier walked in.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," I growled.

"What?" Jake followed my gaze and turned back to my accusation.

"You set me up." I left the pool stick propped against the table and went for my coat.

"Come on, Fangs," he held out his hands imploringly, "How was I supposed to know they'd be here?"

"You see the future," I gave him the 'no-duh' response. My jacket was barely on as I headed toward the door.

Logan grabbed my arm as I tried to march past them, "Sit down, kid. We're just here ta talk."

I held back my growl but let him lead me to the table.

"Cougar, how have you been?" Xavier started, motioning for me to sit across from him.

I remained standing. "I thought you were retired n' runnin' around with that alien chick."

Logan sat to my right and abruptly forced me down into my chair. It was his 'subtle' way of telling me to be more respectful. I gave him a not-so-subtle dirty look and wrenched my arm away.

The Professor simply smiled at my rudeness, which irritated me. "Yes, but I would always come out of my retirement if one of my X-Men were to need something."

"Well, I left the X-Men, so you must be here for Jake," I jerked my thumb at the man leaning against his pool cue.

Holding up both hands, he backed away, "Keep me out of this. I'll just…go back to my game." He pointed to the table and turned his back on us, still clearly listening. Coward.

"So why are you here?" I crossed my arms and tried not to scowl at everything.

"You have a history of running when things effect you emotionally," the bald man started abruptly. When I opened my mouth to object he spoke above me, "Old trust issues with your team, being the only one who could see through Mr. Wick's farce, what happened to those children and how it was similar to your own experiences, that girls death-"

"Kim." I finally cut him off, "Don't call her 'that girl'. Her name was Kim." Xavier had a way of finding everything that was bothering you and pulling it to the surface. He claimed it was a way of facing your demons. I always just felt like he was rubbing salt in my wounds.

He gazed at me intently, "Yes, Kim. I apologize."

I wondered if he was sneaking through my mind. "What's yer point?"

"I'm simply here to see that you're leaving the X-Men for acceptable reasons or if you're just running from your emotions again."

I tilted my head at his words. "Acceptable. Maybe that's why I wanna leave. You people have a way of comin' off like I'm ta answer to you for every decision in my life." I leaned across the table, "Hey, I was thinking about goin' to the bathroom. Is that acceptable?"

Again, he smiled, but it was visibly tighter than the last one. "Perhaps 'acceptable' isn't the right phrase."

"Ya know what?" I butted in again, ignoring the warning look from Wolverine, "My reasons are acceptable ta me, n' that's all that matters. Maybe you should tell me why it is you think I should stay?"

"I'm only concerned that your reasons for leaving are made in haste, without thinking them through."

"I spent a month in North Dakota! You ever been ta North Dakota?" I asked without caring about his answer, "There aint much ta do there _except_ think about things."

"Do you know why there is so much tension between Joseph and yourself?" Xavier changed directions, reminding me that he had a degree in psychology.

I shrugged, "No. And I don't really care anymore either."

"I encouraged him to try to mend your relationship. It may help you get back on solid ground with your other teammates as well."

"Ex-team mates. E.X." I corrected. "And I'm guessin' that's the reason why he was so gung ho about me stayin'. Did you promise him a biscuit if I did, like a good lil' puppy?"

"Cougar," I finally got him frowning, "Your attitude is neither acceptable nor welcomed."

"Yea, well neither is this conversation," I growled.

"Excuse me?" He really looked mad then.

"Look, if I _want_ ta leave the X-Men, I can. If I _want_ ta just forget everything n' let it go, I should be able to. And if I want ta be mad at Dragon until hell freezes over and hold a grudge against his team, then that's what I'm gonna do. I have every right to and I don't see how my personal opinions and dislikes are any of yer business, now or at any other point in time."

"Cougar," Wolverine warned me to cool down.

"What," I snapped at him. "Two reasons, Wolverine. You give me two reasons ta stay. I aint helping' those kids any and I if wanna save the world from bad guys, I can do that myself. _You_ taught me, remember." When he didn't say anything, I really looked at him. The anger in my voice was replaced by realization as I asked, "You don't think I should, do you?"

This came as a complete shock. I'd assumed that he was there as muscle back up to forcibly drag me back to the school like he had done so long ago. From the edge of my vision, I saw Xavier glance at the other man, probably giving him mental cues. Jake was watching them too.

Finally he gave me my answer carefully, "I think…you've earned the right ta make yer own choice, kid. But Chuck's got a point too. Ya can't run from all yer problems."

I looked over at the older man, whom I was sure had made Logan add that last part. "I'm not running. I'm walking. I'm walking away from you and I'm walking away from the X-Men. If I ever decided ta come back, it'll be my decision ta make on my own when I'm ready."

"You can't hide from the world forever, Cougar," Xavier tried once more.

"Sure I can," I pushed away from the table and got to my feet. "Its what I'm best at."

Jake left his unfinished game, "Come on, Fangs, I'll walk you to your truck…"

And with that I left the X-men.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

For quite awhile I did nothing but travel. Why not? I could get almost everything for free by theft. Dishonest, yes, but I never go greedy. Things were going good…sorta.

I had just returned from Europe and was in some no-named bar that allowed mutants. I'd just stopped because I was sick of walking around and thirsty.

Just by luck I'd stopped and just by luck I'd sat in the corner and watched a bike gang take control. Apparently the bar people were used to it. The music got louder and more violent sounding. The bikers got more drunk and rowdy. The three female bartenders got more nervous. Then four of the men surrounded and ushered one girl into the back.

I waited, maybe they were getting special beer? What did I know of bars. The songs changed and I could hear her screams in between albums. No one in the bar moved except for me.

The door was unlocked; maybe more of their friends were going to join them.

"Four creeps against one girl?" I interrupted, "That aint very fair."

They all looked at me.

"Get the f*ck out," one said as another leered, "You wanna play, sweety?"

The barmaid crawled across the floor toward me, half naked and crying.

"Get out," I moved aside.

"So what're you gonna do?" a greasy, drip of a man sneered. "You think four creeps against you is any fair-er?"

"No, its not," I reached behind me and pulled the door closed, locking it with a loud 'click'. "But who ever said I was fair?" I asked with a fanged smile.

There were a lot of screams, a lot of thuds, a lot of banging from their buddies on the other side of the metal door, a lot of blood and a few broken bones.

I'd received a glancing blow to the head. Otherwise they were all down for the count. I'd been liberal with my claws, something I was rarely allowed to do as an X-Man. Logan taught me the use of martial arts, but years before, Saber tooth had introduced me to my personal weapons.

Sitting ontop of the filing cabinet, I waited for the idiots to finally break through the sheet rock walls to get in.

I'd left a cryptic message pinned to one of their shirt pockets, "Change your ways or bleed."

The men cursed and left their friends when the sirens got audible. I slipped out and followed them as best as I could.

After a month of tracking them and putting about a quarter of them in either the hospital or jail, they finally got the message. I was in L.A. then and started targeting a drug ring gang. I'd catch the deals on tape, follow the drug runners round until I'd get to the top, or nearly there, then I'd take down however many were near me at the time and coll the police, leaving the evidence. I revealed quite a few dirty cops, too. It seemed to be the current theme of my life.

Eventually, the papers started catching on. They had no real information on me, no photos, no descriptions, just an M.O. of scratches and 'disappearing' when the cops showed up. They didn't even know I was a woman (come on, what self-respecting hard-core gangster would admit to being beat up by a girl?). They started referring to me as Ghost Cat. I wasn't going to correct them, Cougar would get traced back to the X-Men, and I was still steering clear of them.

Or trying to, anyway.

I was staying in a grimy motel in Miami where I'd busted a couple drug lords. My next target was human trafficking, but they were as shadowy as me.

After a long night, I was back at said motel; reaching for the door knob, I froze. The rug in front of the door was straightened. I always left the corner resting against the door, that way, if anyone went in, the rug would jam and they'd have to move it. The cleaners didn't touch my room-'mutant rules'.

Turning silently back to the parking lot, I started looking over the cars. Familiars, new ones and out-of state plates. One rental from New York was immaculately clean and had a distinct odor to it.

I went back to the room and unlocked the door, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't break into my room," I chided Wolverine.

He was sitting at the single chair table and flipping through the channels on mute. "Ya know, kid, yer bank card from Xavier's is still activated."

"Why? Some one steal it or something?" I kept in the door way.

"No, but you could use it n' stay at a nicer place than this dump."

I frowned, "I've seen some of the places you've holed up in and this aint much worse."

"Ya gonna come in and shut the door or what?" He snapped off the TV.

"Depends," I replied coldly, "Bring handcuffs this time?"

"Nope," he nodded behind me, "Shut the door, we gotta talk."

I stepped in far enough to close the door but remained with my arms crossed, irritated and on guard.

He reached into a travel bag beside him and tossed the front page of the local paper onto the bed. The headline read, "Ghost Cat Arrives in City: Crime Rates Plummet". It was an exaggeration. Crime just slowed down while I was around because people didn't want to get caught. Next he plopped five more papers from other cities that I'd been to in the past, all with similar stories featured. "Is that you?" he inquired

I moved closer to look over the articles, I had't know I was that popular. "Yea," I finally answered simply.

He grunted and shook his head, "Yer getting' pretty popular with the bad guys, kid."

"Is this why yer here?" I interrupted in an accusatory tone.

He pointed a finger at me, "Get rid of the attitude. I aint here ta pick a fight. When's the last time ya ate a decent meal?"

I hated it when he suddenly switched topics. "My resources aren't as limited as when I was a teenage runaway, Wolverine. I'm capable of getting a good meal whenever I want one," I answered crisply

Throwing on his jean jacket he shook his head, "I'm offerin' ta buy ya breakfast, kid. No reason ta be rude." He gathered up the news articles and stuffed them back in his bag on his way to the door. Without waiting for my reply or consent, he called back from the parking lot, "Hurry up, I wanna beat the senior citizen crowd. This IS Miami."

I stood there for a minute. How can he threaten me then tell me I'm going to breakfast? He was such an irritating person.

The horn honked and I gave in. Free food is free food.

It was 5:30 A.M. at a small diner bearing the name of Bubba, and still there was a ridiculous amount of old people. You'd think retirees would want to sleep in.

I remained 'polite' until we finished our meals, then I got back to business. "So what're you here for?"

"Checkin' up on you," he answered me straight. "And got a couple questions ya gotta answer."

"I don't 'gotta' do nothing," I bristled at his order. I'd been on my own for months and the thought of being told what I HAD to do irritated me further. I was still resentful and angry at him for the turmoil he'd caused with my ex-team.

His eyebrows rose at my tone, "Tell ya what, kid, answer me here or answer Summers when I drag yer butt back ta New York. Yer choice."

My jaw clenched but I knew it wasn't an idle threat, "You have no right-"

He interrupted me, "If yer getting' it illegally, usin' yer mutant powers, that makes it X-Man business. So if ya don't gimme a straight, I've got my orders."

I shook my head in frustration. I didn't want to tell him, but I REALLY didn't want to tell Cyclops either. Logan was watching me carefully. Apparently I looked like I was going to run. I wanted to.

"And if I am getting it illegally, then what? Haul me off ta jail? Lock me away in the Mansion's lower levels?"

"Of course not," he scowled at my implied imprisonment. "But like it or not, kid, we trained you, and yer still our responsibility if yer mis-usin' that training."

"Read the papers," I replied cooly, "I'm a good guy."

"Answer my question, Cougar."

It was a stupid question and I knew that I was just being stubborn by not answering it. It wasn't worth the hassle of fighting Wolverine. "I steal it." I gave him his bloody answer. "I pick the pockets of rich CEO's or figure heads who are crooks or cheating on their wives. Its not enough ta hurt them and most of them probably don't even notice its missing. Is that enough of an answer for ya?

"Ya know they have a price out on yer head," he dropped another topic change.

My eyes went wide, "You guys put a bounty out on me?"

"What?" he actually looked confused for a moment, "No. If we wanted ya in, I'd bring ya in." I frowned at how he said that, but he went on, "These people yer bringin' down; they've got friends in high places with alotta cash. There's a price on ya, dead or alive."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I kept quiet.

"Look, kid, what yer doin' is great and all, but yer gonna get yourself hurt. These mercenaries aren't the kind of people you wanna go up against."

"The papers still think I'm some big burly black guy."

He shrugged at my objections, "I still found ya."

"_You_ are different," I shouldn't have had to point that out, "You know my scent and you knew I was Ghost Cat anyway. And I'm sure you called Jake and he told you where I was anyway." Of all my old teammates, I kept up with Jake only. He threatened to sic Wolverine on me if I didn't. See how well that worked out?

"And what happens when someone ties ya back ta the X-Men? Yer puttin' yer old team in danger."

"Don't pull that crap," I snapped, "They're X-Men, they put themselves in danger more than I do." He scowled at my anger so I cooled off just enough. "Yer tryin' ta make me quit doin' what I'm doin for yer own reasons." I leaned in closer, trying to make him understand because if he didn't, he'd have the power to force me to quit. "Two days ago, I busted up a crack house. In one of the rooms was a 12 year old girl from Guatemala. She'd been sent here for a better life, but instead, she was taken at the border and sold as a sex slave. She's lived as a possession for two years. She said that she was living with dozens of other girls and boys and women. You tell me that you'd quit after that, Logan."

"I get it, kid, I really do. But you gotta take inta account that you can get hurt a lot worse 'n me."

Admittedly, I hesitated before telling him the next part. I pushed the sleeve up on my arm. There were old yellowed bruises in the shape of finger prints. "How old do these look?"

"Days? A week?" he shook his head, "I aint exactly an expert at slow healing wounds."

"That was from last night," I informed him quietly, leaving the cuff up so he could look closer. "By tomorrow, it'll be gone." I considered telling him about the stab wound that would be gone by the next night, but decided he didn't need to know that.

Another head shake, "What do ya mean?"

"When Creed…got me," I faltered, "And Conner healed me, I came back different. That's different, Logan. I didn't notice it when I was on the team cuz if I got hurt, I'd just get myself healed right away. But before the cops got me for being with the CoE, there was a building explosion. I was very close to that building, but all I woke up with was a concussion and busted ribs. By the time you got ta me, all I needed was a couple stitches." Brushing hair away from my forehead I continued, "And that didn't even scar."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

I shook my head, "I'm still trying ta figure it out myself."

He sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. "We're not telling' ya ta stop, OK? We're just warning you that you gotta be careful." He sounded sincere.

Sighing, I gave him all that I was willing to give, "OK, I'll be more careful; I'll watch my back more; I'll get more paranoid." Then I shook my head, "But that's all I got, Wolverine."

He held out a tube of chap stick, "You get this too."

"What?" Crazy old man…

He popped off the bottom and pulled out an electronic tracking device, then pushed it back together. "Twist the bottom either direction one full rotation ta activate it."

Shaking my head, I kept my hands down, refusing to take it, "I don't wanna be low jacked, Logan. Yer missin' the point of my being on my own, away from the X-Men."

"Figured you'd say that," he placed it on the table, "It doesn't track you, and is off until you want it on. Once you do activate it, it sends a distress signal to Iron Man, only. Then yer his problem."

Still reluctant, I took it and looked it over. It can only help, right? There was real chapstick but it was nearly finished. "OK, used chap stick, that's gross," I made whatever sarcastic remark I could.

"Jake's idea. He said you always carry a tube. That way if anyone searches you, that's yer old one, nearly gone, and the other is the replacement."

"Oh, so he's in on this too? Who else decided that I need ta be babysat?"

"The head school trained you, and, like I said, yer still our responsibility. So drop the attitude or yer going inta time out." He cracked a joke that was still full of threat… "I called Jake ta see where ya were. He wouldn't tell me until I gave him my word that I wasn't gonna do anything ta piss you off."

"Like that's possible," I grumbled, getting gthe famous scowl. "OK, I got it, I'll use it if I need it. Is that it?" I started to get antsy. I wanted out of the restaurant, the city….maybe the country.

"Yep. Watch yer back. Call if ya need to. Keep yer nose clean." He too k out his wallet and started paying the bill. Without looking up from the cash he asked, "You sure yer doin' all right, kid?"

"Yea. I am." I answered him straight.

"Good. I figured you'd be fine on yer own."

My eyebrows shot up, "Then why the third degree?"

He left a generous tip and got up, leaving me at the table with only, "It's my job."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Long enough? R&R PLZ


	19. Chapter 19

**Review Replies:**

Proud to be an X-Nerd: This one's kinda slow too, but I think there will be lots of action coming up? And don't' go nuts…the squirrels will come after you.

Wolf: Hey, I just talked to you. And you better review this one, its totally dedicated to you…well, I had to put Storm in there too, just for length

Dipsey: Benevolent and altruistic are big words this late at night….:D I dunno, for some reason I always felt like Xavier was this ultimate good guy, an optimist, bright light in the dark kinda thing ( I even wrote a report on the X-Men movies and likened him to Martin Luther King Jr.). But I just wanted to write him as kind of controlling, manipulative and, I dunno, two faced? It was a weird thought that I just kinda went with.

Winter Warrior: Well, mention of Wolverine, but otherwise we get some Storm. I kind of made her this calm, controlled motherly type. Maybe some wont like it, but I always saw her as a nurturer. One who could possibly lose it and bring the wrath of the elements down upon your head. :D

Kirby: Haha, funny you should mention Wolf in your review…here she is! I dunno, I'll see about the two endings when I get there. It might be fun…

**Quote: **Since this is dedicated to Wolf…here's one of her quotes:

Wolf: I wanna have two girls.

Me: What about Chantz?

Wolf: Its my body. He has no say.

Me: What if you have two boys?

Wolf: Then we'll try one more time.

Me: What if its another boy? You just gonna get rid of him?

Wolf: Of course not. I'll get rid of Chantz.

-Family planning, all said with humor

**Chapter 19**

My instincts were telling me to make myself scarce so that's what I did. I thought of a couple places that I could go, places that I'd been to recently and like, but, hell, I needed something new. I went to Africa. There, with much translation, I finally heard about a white haired goddess that was in a remote village. I hadn't talked to Storm in a long time. She was always one of my favorite teachers; calm and reserved, a nice break from Wolverine…

"When Professor Xavier decided to train new teams," she explained as we walked through the small village, "We were all a bit apprehensive about Logan being in charge of one."

"Because he has anger management issues?" I guessed, making her laugh softly.

Yes, but no. Logan was always very strict, almost hard on your team, but it concerned me, especially because I know how he often feels responsible for those close to him. He's very protective."

"Protective and controlling are two different things," I pointed out as we waited for a group of naked, laughing children to pass us.

"Of course, and more than once he's been reminded of that. He understands. But if he is trying to keep you from getting hurt, in his mind, the best way for him to do that is to stop you from putting yourself in danger."

"That's stupid. I started with Xavier's School signed up ta be an X-Man. That's like signing a contract ta live in danger. If it really worried him that much, then he should have just taught us how ta protect ourselves better." It was extremely difficult for me to understand the twisted reasonings of Wolverine.

"Which is exactly what he did. Your team trained harder and longer than any of the other three, and as a result, you are better prepared, more organized, and more effective."

"Until he sends me under cover and the team falls apart," I reminded her, sure that she'd heard the story.

"Not every bird learns to fly at the first leap from the nest."

I hate analogies in which I'm a bird… "So my team jumped and fell. Now we," I caught myself and corrected, "They're stuck with the New York team hovering over them. Again."

"And it seems that you've jumped yourself," she smiled and kept going with the bird-analogy, "But parent birds remain with their fledglings while they learn to fly."

"Fine, but why does that parent bird have ta be Wolverine?" I tried very hard not to sound pouty with that statement.

"Because he cares for you, Cougar. He understood how it felt to be an outsider, to work with a team that didn't trust you, to be used by others, to have to fight for control from your animal nature."

"And he said this, did he?" I remained skeptical. You can't candy-coat Wolverine.

"Of course not," she admitted, "But it was clear to those of us that know him. He worked with you individually quite often, remember?"

I shook my head, "Because I had ta learn self-control, and I was at a higher level than the others after training with Creed."

"It was because of Creed, yes," she gave me one, "Those two have been enemies for decades, or longer, and perhaps the fact that Sabertooth was after you made Logan feel guilty. I always suspected that he trained you harder so that you'd be more prepared if the man did come after you again. So you'd be safe."

"Well, he failed," I muttered and caught myself absently touching my stomach where the thick white scars from Creed's claws had marked me for death.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and I let it stay, "The point of you visiting, I assumed, was for me to give my perspective on Wolverine's behavior. He's only trying to protect you. Just because you've left the X-Men, doesn't mean you're not part of the family. Family worries about each other."

"You left the X-Men." I gesture outward, toward the wild plains of Africa, "Do they still check on you?"

"Yes, in fact they do," she disappoints me, "And I would be hurt if they didn't."

I sighed and gave her what she wanted to hear, "OK, I get it. I'll cut him some slack."

She smiled, "We're all just concerned that you stay safe in your chosen path. Are you speaking with you teammates?"

"Jake," I admitted.

"I've only met Jacob once," her eyes looked up, trying to recall his memory, "He seemed very nice. Have you two…" she hesitated with a smile, "Become involved?"

"What?" I asked before I understood her meaning, "No." I answered quickly, "No, we're not…no. It just that Amber had this 'buddy system' thing on missions 'n we got partnered up, which I thought was dumb."

"That he was your partner?"

"That I had ta have a partner. My whole fighting style is based on me going unnoticed. It messed me up if I had ta remember ta try and BE noticed and I can't just turn off my powers for one person. Its all or nothing and that puts me in danger."

"So him being your partner put you in harms way?"

"Well, no," I shrugged. "Jake doesn't have a hard time finding me. I dunno, maybe its cuz of his powers or something…"

"And as partners, you two became close?" she asked, making me wonder where she was going.

"And we went out on night patrols together and stuff. Yea…I guess we're close."

"Why is it that you only speak to him, then if you've fought along side all your other teammates and have become close with them over the years also?"

I told you she was going somewhere…I remained quiet for a moment, knowing that she'd expect a thought out answer from me. "I'm still angry," I admitted. "Talkin' ta them is only gonna make things worse if I'm angry."

She looked a little sad but pressed, "You don't hold your anger against Jake, though?" A head shake was her answer so she continued, "Logan explained to me what happened. I do understand. You feel that your team betrayed you." She hit the nail on the head. I hadn't thought of it that way. "But Jake didn't?"

"No. He stood up for me through all of it," I didn't know if she knew that part or not, but she remained quiet for awhile so apparently not.

"Well, you are lucky to have found someone who has complete faith in you. My only advice is that, eventually, you have to let go of your anger and forgive your teammates. They still care about you."

"So I've been told," I retort a little bitterly. The sun was starting to set and the horizon was a brilliant orange.

"There's going to be a feast tonight. Are you staying?"

I was grateful that she'd dropped the conversation, "Sure, what're ya havin?" My stomach grumbled at the foreign aromas coming from the many cooking fires.

Again, Storm laughed, "In most cases, it's best that you try it before you know where it came from."

I smile a little back, "I'm always up for an adventure…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leaving Africa, I finally went through an area where I had cell phone service. I had a voice mail from my old friend Wolf.

"_Hey, its me. Haven't talked in awhile. I've got a week of down time and wanted to know if we could meet for coffee. Your choice of the place. Call me back, bye."_

Wolf was working for some sort of secret international association that used mutants to fight terrorists and other international bit-time bad guys. She was all over the globe so when she said 'my choice', it was wherever in the world I wanted to go. It would take me time to get across the ocean, so I chose some place in the same hemisphere. We met up in Australia.

I was late, as usual. Plopping down across the tiny table from her, she informed me so.

"You're late," she quirked an eyebrow at my attire, "and very….native-looking. That whole Amazon Warrior thing fits you." She handed me a cup of caramel mocha.

I was wearing khaki Capri's a spaghetti strap brown tank top and wearing a variety of African bracelets, anklets, hair pieces, scarves and necklaces. It all jangled too much for me, but Storm told me I'd offend the villagers if I didn't wear their gifts. I pulled off one of the scarves, "Give this ta yer grandma Ruthe, she'll love it."

Another eyebrow quirk, "Authentic? What're you doing in Africa?"

I shrugged, "Visiting Storm."

"So you're talking to the X-Men now?" she asked, scanning the shop for something to put in her drink. With a twitch of her nose, she zoomed in on the cinnamon.

Once she was reseated, I answered, "Some of them. Wolverine tracked me down. Told me I had a price on my head."

"Yea, we've heard that." She sipped her drink.

"Right, I forgot you guys were the eyes 'n ears of the world…"

"'Zactly," she grinned adding another dash of cinnamon. "So what'd he have to say? Other than, 'I'm grumpy', I mean."

"Oh, he told me ta keep my nose clean. Gave me something, too." I dug the tracker out of my picket.

"Chapstick? That's weird."

I gave her an eye roll. "He said it only turns on if I activate it, but I suspect that they're low jacking me." I got irritated all over again.

"Creeps," Wolf agreed, making me instantly better. No one else gets me… "We can see if Pete wants to look at it."

"Pete?" I chug my coffee. They didn't have any at Storm's village….It was very sad.

"Repeat Pete. My tech guy."

"You get yer own techy?" That would come in handy.

"Yea, all the field agents do. He does surveillance and watches my back, though he's kinda a wuss, so I don't know if he'd be much help if I did get into trouble…"

"Why's his code name Repeat Pete?" I tried to think of a mutant power that that would relate to and came up blank.

"We don't use our real names. All he did the first couple missions was repeat exactly what the bosses told him to, so I started calling him "Repeat", which bugged him. He said Repeat is not a name, so I tagged on Pete. See how accommodating I am?"

"So much so," I replied ,"And he's here in town?"

She nodded, "He came incase you wanted to come back with us."

Didn't see that coming, but I very much appreciated her straight forward question. It seemed that every one was sneaking around with their own agenda's lately…"You mean back to the Company, or what ever you call it?"

Another nod, "The Department, yea. You haven't been keeping up with the papers, have you?" When I frowned she explained, "Well, I always knew you were Ghost Cat, but the press started putting the pieces together about two weeks ago. First it was just written off as tabloid gossip, like Bigfoot sightings. Ghost Cat is really a woman, then an X-Man, and finally they guessed you. No one really knew about 'Cougar' until that cop-mutant experiment thing you busted in Makoshika. Which really ticked me off," she scowled. "We used to got there with Grandpa, remember? Then that creep totally perverted it. And you _knew_ he was a creep too. I should've gone down there and scared him straight as soon as you mentioned him-"

"Nay," I interrupted, "Focus on the point." I grinned at her right-brain tangent thinking.

"Right," she smiled back, "So then your old team leader, the jerk one?"

"Joseph," I filled in. See how quickly he came to mind at the word 'jerk'?

"He confirmed it. Then _my_ bosses, who know we're friends, came up with this ridiculous idea that I'd come sweet talk you into joining our cause. Their words."

"Sweet talk, huh? They don't know you too well, huh?"

She gave me a look of indignation, "I can be sweet if I wanna…Its just easier to be sour."

"Hm," was my chosen reply, thought out carefully. Joking aside, I gave her my answer, "I'd appreciate the tech help on this, but I think I'll pass on the offer. I'm doin' good on my own and I'm kinda over having ta answer to the whole group thing."

"Yea, I kinda figured," she shrugged, "But it would've been fun working with you again."

"Yea," I sighed, swirling my coffee. "Don't you ever feel like they're just using you, for you powers, I mean?"

"No, not really." She answered with more thought than I'd expected. "They set up the missions and everything, but at any point I can drop out if I don't like it, or change the plan to how I see fit. If anything, I'm using them. I wouldn't be able to do what I do with out them."

"And you like what you do?" I asked.

"Don't you?"

I paused, "Usually, but sometimes its like, why bother? There's so much bad. And now I'm just taking out little pieces of the bad. Before, with the X-men, at least it was the bigger pieces…but that was so…exhausting, you know?"

"You can save hundreds of people by stopping just one guy," she pointed you, "But don't forget that you can also save one kid by stopping one guy too. That hundred sounds nice, but to that kids family? His mother, brothers and sisters? That one sounds pretty good too. Let the X-Men focus on the big stuff. You're doing your own."

"How'd you get so insightful?" I frowned, feeling much better.

"I am just that awesome," she humbly explained.

"Hm," I said again, suppressing a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

We finished our coffee, got seconds to go, and then I followed her outside to a white van.

"Oh, how cliché," I accused. "You really keep yer techy stuffed into that thing?"

"Yea, not too camouflaged, huh?" She yanked open the side door, making the man inside jump.

Wolf smirked, "Video games, huh?" She waved at the built in TV monitor where a war game was paused, then climbed in, "Like our lives aint exciting enough for you?" I followed her in as she introduced, "Repeat Pete, this is Cougar, she's got a gizmo for you."

"Oh," he quickly turned off his game, "Ghost Cat, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Wolf snorted at that.

I shook his hand to be polite, "Its Cougar. Ghost Cat is kinda the papers thing."

"Right, sorry….uh," he turned back to Wolf, "What did you say about a 'gizmo'?"

I handed over the chapstick while she explained, "She needs to know if its sending out a signal."

"It's…chaptstick…" he looked confused between the two of us. Then he frowned, "Oh…" looking down at it, he opened the bottom, "Well that's clever…"

I gave Wolf a dubious look but she reassured me, "Repeat Pete's a mutant that reads electronics. He's usually not so slow."

"Thanks for that," he gave her a fake smile, "I appreciate the support in front of your superhero friend."

She smiled sweetly back. "You got answers yet or what?"

"Yes and no." He moved to a computer, "It's active, yes, but doesn't appear to be broadcasting…where did you say she got this?"

"I didn't," Wolf frowned, "It's secret superhero stuff, so don't worry about that."

"Well, I mean," he connected wires from the computer to the tracker, "It's just very high tech. Not something off the street. Our people don't even have access to something like it.." He typed faster than I'd probably be able to speak. "In your terms, it 'very cool'."

Once more, I gave Wolf that look.

"Ok, you're don't playing now," she held out her hand.

"Again, I don't appreciate the patronizing tone," he continued typing. "I'm just trying to see…"

"Excuse me," Tony Stark's face filled the screens in the van…quite unnerving.

"What…uh…"Pete pulled away from the keyboard and froze.

"Oh," I frowned; Wolf looked to me and I shrugged.

"What exactly are you doing with my equipment? In Australia?"

"I…uh…Mr. Stark…they…she…"

"Wow, he really doesn't do well under pressure, does he?" I couldn't even laugh at the poor guy.

"Cougar, I'm assuming you're there? And safe?" Iron Man asked unnecessarily

"Yup," I moved closer to the screen, wondering if he could see us at all.

"What is he doing with my equipment? That's not a toy, you know."

"Uh, I'm….uh…she," Pete continued to stutter.

"He's telling me if its trackin' my every move or not."

"No," Stark obviously dumbed it down for me, "Only if you turn it on. You could have simply asked me. You have trouble with that, don't you?"

"How'm I supposed ta know if yer trustworthy. You ratted me out ta Wolverine last time," I reminded with a scowl.

"Well, did you get your answer," he turned to the still frozen Pete, meaning he was somehow seeing us all.

"Uh…we…Mr. Stark…"

"Its not active," Wolf cut him off, giving him a 'what is _wrong_ with you!' look.

"Who is that?"

"Wolf," I answered with out answering. I know, its annoying. But that's only when others do it to me.

"Wolf and Cougar…"he seemed to find that amusing, "Are you satisfied that I'm not stalking you?"

"Yup," I repeated.

"Good, not put it back in your pocket and leave it alone. And try ASKING for whatever it is next time."

The screen went black.

"He's friendly," Wolf noted.

"Mr. Stark, its an honor to meet you. I've studied your work for years and am privileged to be even in the presence of your more advanced technology…" the man between us spoke in one breath.

"Kinda late there, Pete." she smirked at her partner.

The man sighed, slumping his shoulders, "I was afraid of that…"

I shook my head, "Techies…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK, one more chapter, then its present tense. Yay, right?


	20. Chapter 20

**Review Replies:**

Proud to be an X-Nerd: haha, yea, I didn't care for Iron Man being all Civil War moron…Wolf's fun to write, but she's based on my best friend (below), so I don't want to write her too much and make her character different or too weird. I dunno. I like writing them together because Cougar's kind of fiery tempered where as Wolf's more cool (which she really is in real life) She's totally coming back later in this fic, too.

Wolfy: aww…you don't like Repeat Pete? U two are l like an odd couple partnership…its funny. And I wrote your character to be a GOOD GUY, you can't take down the X-Men, they are good guys too. Yer not evil. Deal with it. :D And yer gonna be coming back in later

Dipsey: Ha, I like Pete too, it think he's funny :D

Kirby12: sorry, but there is an end in sight, its just taking me awhile ta get there. I think this'll be the last chapter fic…maybe I'll do a chapter here or there, one shot flash backs on when she was a student, or on the team, or on her own…I dunno, we'll see

Winterwarrior: I'm glad ppl liked my version of Storm, and my Repeat Pete. Thanks for reviewing!

**Quote:**

Bones is about to x-ray a new corpse that looks like an alien

**Brennan:** Oh good, you got here for the good stuff**Booth:** What good stuff?**Brennan:** MRI. IT's an older model but entirely serviceable**Booth:** And just so you know, this isn't the good stuff.**Brennan:** Of course it is. Look at all those remodelled bones... [_The body in the MRI starts to tremble then sit upBrennan screamsBooth gets out his gun to shoot which is sucked in by the MRI, and Brennan quickly shuts off the machine. The body slumps back into position]_**Booth**: You know, I won't say anything about the scream if you won't say anything about the gun**Brennan**: Those terms are satisfactory.

**Chapter 20:**

I left Australia and headed back to Denver. I'd almost forgotten Ana and Conner's wedding. She would have killed me worse than any bounty hunter.

A few nights later, I was holding my own against three thugs in an alley who were trying to berat and rob an old man. Said victim had split the moment I'd pulled the boys off of him without so much as a glance back. Optimistically thinking, he could have been calling for help, but I've never held my breath for optimism.

One boy was out cold. The second was coughing against the wall. People punched in the wind pipe are usually more concerned with relearning how to breathe than fighting. I blocked an all or nothing punch from the last man standing and used his own momentum to sweep one foot into the other. He crashed to the ground with a few dirty names aimed at me.

"Sticks 'n stones," I smirked.

"Yea? How bout knives, bitch?" From the ground he pulled a decent switch blade on me.

I rolled my eyes and help my claws up for him to see, "Really? I'm spose ta be afraid of yer pocket knife?"

He made a couple poor attempts at my legs, then rolled to his feet. Two more wild swipes and he backed me into a wall. "Not so hot now, huh?" he sneered.

Yea. Like I've never had my back against the wall before. He moved to sink the blade into my gut, as predicted. In one move, I stepped to the left, grabbed his wrist with both hands and 'helped' him slam into the wall, breaking both the blade and a few bones in his hand.

The big bad man screamed like a little girl.

I hooked my leg behind both of his and swept him back down to the concrete. From the corner of my eye, I saw the guy I'd punched in the throat earlier move toward my back. Pulling an escrima, I whipped around to block. A crackling energy field stopped his crowbar flat, then bleew him back a dozen feet into the wall. I turned to see Jake, sahking his head.

"Fangs. Nice to know you're in town," he held out a hand to help me up. "How about you call next time?"

I accept the boost, "Why do ya think I'm still in town? I figured you'd find me eventually. Why waste the quarter ta call?"

"You've gotta work on your social skills, you know that?" he sounded annoyed at my verbal shrug. "And I just _happened_ to be listening to the police scanner. By the way, we gotta split." He lead me out of the alley and to his still running car and we pulled away just as the sirens became audible.

"You know, Ana's wedding was yesterday," he told me after a minute of silence between us.

"I know. That's why I'm here." I was slightly offended that he would think that I'd bail on her 'special day', but I guess I never told him otherwise.

"You came? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I told Ana. I knew it was important ta her." I hesitated a moment before making up for my apparent lack of 'social skills' and shared with him, "I'm not ready ta talk ta the others yet."

"Did Logan know?"

I shrugged, "I kept down wind but maybe he did." Then I asked what I REALLY needed to know… "Amber's pregnant?"

"Oh, you noticed?"

"She looks like she's about ready ta drop calf, how could I not?" I part of me was irritated that no one had mentioned that to me, but in all fairness, held back on them too.

Jake laughed lightly, "That's a colorful description, yea, but don't ever, _ever_ say that out loud near her." He looked at me very seriously, making me laugh. "She's not quite eight months now, and yes, she's very sensitive."

"Who's the father?" I frowned at the thought. Jake was quiet for just too long and held a strange look across his face. I felt my eyes bug out, "Oh. My. God. It's you, isn't it?"

"What?" he looked panicked, like I was going to hit him maybe.

"You man-whore! How could you-"

"What? No. NO," he shook his head, "Not ME. Jeez, Fangs, how could you….did you call me a man-whore?" He looked rapidly between the road and me.

"Yes!" I yelled at him, still mad at the idea. "If it aint you then who is it?"

"Frank."

"Oh, sick," I couldn't hide the disgusted look on my face. "How is that even possible?"

Still sore at the 'man-whore' comment, he answered sarcastically, "Well, Fangs, when a man and woman have feelings for each other-"

I did hit him. And not lightly either. "I do NOT want that image in my head and you know it."

"Hey," he rubbed his arm, but I saw the smile in his eyes…he had great fun making my squeamishness…pervert. "She found out that she was about two months along just a little after you left."

Doing the math, I figured 'it' had happened right before I'd trashed his camp. "Well, at least she didn't get back together with that scum-sucking-no-good-piece-of-yesterday's trash."

He gave me a 'come on' look, "Give her more credit than that, Fangs, he told me softly, "She made a mistake and got sucker punched for it."

I stared out the windshield, "Where're we goin'?"

A big grin spread across his face as he declared, "The circus."

"What? Why?" I groaned. I don't like crowds. I don't like clowns. I don't like masses of sticky-fingered children whining that their balloon animals popped.

"There's a freak show there." Again with the grin.

"My whole life is a freak show," I remind him, trying desperately to squash his happy..

It didn't work. "It'll be fun, Fangs."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He paid for me at the gate, then again to walk into the large tent housing the 'freaks', which was unnecessary because I could have just walked right in.

"There's so many mutants in the around, how can these things still exist?" I muttered as we walked in.

"These are 'safe' mutants." When all I did was raise my eyebrows he elaborated, "No one normally is in close contact with a lot of 'freakish' mutants. This is like an adventure for the suburban-ites. Get in close to the ape-man, or the shape shifter without any real danger. You know?"

"Like goin' ta the zoo ta see a tiger," I observed dryly.

"Exactly."

"I don't like zoo's," I reminded him.

"I know," he started handing out pamphlets and cards for Xaviers. Some of the people looked slightly interested, most pointedly tossed the cards aside.

A little girl with black eyes and a mess of dark brown curls ran up to me and latched onto my hand.

"Uhm…hi…there," I tried to retrieve my appendage but the kid continued to pull me towards an enclosed tent. "Jake…" I called for him to follow.

"Hey, good job there, Fangs. Way to connect." He either didn't see my look of awkwardness or he ignored it. "What's your name, kiddo?"

The child ignored him, too. Depositing us in front of an enclosed tent, she darted between the canvas flaps.

"Fortune teller," Jake looked at me expectantly.

"There's three psychics living at the school." I pointed out. "Besides, they can't read my mind."

"Madam Vertosi does not 'read minds'," a heavily accented woman's voice came through the overly dramatic curtains. "I read futures through your aura. Please step inside."

Jake and I barely exchanged glances before he held the curtains open for me, "You heard the lady."

I bit back my doubts and entered the tent. It smelled like cigar smoke. A craggy old woman with olive colored wrinkles covering her face sat behind a card table draped in multi-dyed scarves. Her eyes were as black as the little girl's but her hair, loose except for a few random braids was solid white and wavy.

"The child chose you from the crowd. She rarely chooses. Your reading is free for today." The girl sat on a wooden crate behind her, playing with a kitten.

I shook my head, "No, but thanks."

With a nudge, Jake encouraged me, "Come on, Fangs, it'll be fun."

"Come and sit," the woman pressed.

"No, I'm ok." I remained polite, but firm.

"it's a free reading," Jake continued persuade, "What's it gonna hurt?"

"Give your sunglasses and gloves to your boyfriend and your hand to me," the woman commanded.

Some psychic.

"We're not dating," Jake said just as I corrected, "He's not my boyfriend.

I sat reluctantly and muttered while handing over my effects, "Why does everyone think we're goin' out?"

"What?" this was apparently news to him. "Who else?"

Stiffly holding my hand out, I avoided the answer.

"Oh, my, my, my," gnarled fingers ran across my scarred up palms. "Such violence. Always fighting with the outside world, aren't you?"

I didn't answer, assuming it was a rhetorical question. Anyone could see that I was in a lot of fights.

"But you're warring with the inside world too. Running wild won't make the demons leave."

Her words sent a twinge of annoyance through me but I ignored it, looking over the crone's shoulder. The little girl, minus the kitten, was staring into space, humming tunelessly and kicking her heels against the crate. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out…

But the 'psychic' continued, oblivious to my observation, "You are very important in this world, though you may not see it. You have a very big life, but your heart feels it is still doing too little. You must pace yourself. Your friends can only stand and watch you burn. You hold them too far away."

I sighed and pulled away, "OK, I'm done." I turned to Jake and ordered, "We're done. Leave yer card or whatever for the kid and lets get outta-" I heard a small gasp and the heels stopped thumping.

My arm was seized as the woman flew from her seat to latch onto me. Her black eyes pierced through my golden ones. "There is a great danger in your future."

"Lady," I gave my own even warning, "You best let me go or the dangers gonna be yers."

She snapped, "You must listen and heed this warning!"

"Whoa," Jake tried to step between us, "OK, thank you…"

"When she is wounded and wild, she will need you. You must save her, for if she breaks, there is no turning back."

My hackles rose and a growl started forming on its own.

"Hey, let go of her," Jake pulled at my arm.

The grip tightened, however, and yellowed nails dug into my flesh as she gave her final warning, "Beware the sheep in wolf's clothing!"

I yanked free. She collapsed back into her chair. The little girl jumped from the crate and raced out the back of the tent.

"Great, thanks," Jake spoke sharply, throwing a twenty on the table. "Maybe work on your closers, huh?" With a hand on my back, he escorted me out.

More confused than angry, I looked back over my shoulder to see the slumped woman rubbing at her forehead. My future gives psychics headaches?

"Hey, are you ok?" Jake held up my arm and examined the bleeding nail marks. "Maybe we should get some peroxide on that or something."

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Lets just get outta here, ok?"

"Yea, sure," he continued to study me.

Once back in his caar, I broke the ice, "That wasn't exactly what I'd call 'fun'." I frowned, "And what did she say? 'Beware the _sheep_ in _wolf's_ clothing'? She didn't even get the saying right."

He laughed tightly in agreement. "Yea…some psychic."

"Did you see the little girl, though? I'm sure she was the mutant, just projecting to her grandmother or whatever. What a phony."

"Yea," he replied absently, obviously more shaken by her words than I was.

We were quiet for a while and I could tell by the lines on his forehead that he was thinking about something serious. Finally he spoke, "You know, you've been getting a lot of publicity as Ghost Cat. Way more than the X-Men have ever gotten."

"Yea?" I didn't know where he was going with it.

Reaching around into the back seat with one arm, he fumbled around fro a cloth reusable grocery bag. Tossing it into my lap, I relaxed as he returned his attention back to the busy road. "Check those out."

I pulled out four big name tabloid magazines. US Weekly, OK Magazine, and People all had cover articles of Ghost Cat with pictures of me on the front.

"What the hell is this?" I flipped through the pages to see several different picures of me and timelines of what I've been doing. Apparently I kicked ass and partied it up with the stars. There was a blurred picture of me (or, rather a shape shifter posed as me) having breakfast with some Hollywood big-wig in OK Magazine. I held it up, "I don't even know who this guys is!"

Jake barely glanced over, "Hugh Jackman? He's an actor, Fangs. He's in all sorts of awesome movies." After my blank stare, he went on, "My point is, maybe you should slow down a little. That hack might have been right. Everyone's making you their business these days."

"Don't start," I cut him off, still flipping through the glossy pages. "This wouldn't be such a big mess if Joseph hadn't confirmed that I was Ghost Cat. Did he give them all these pictures too?"

"No," he paused, "One of the students got ahold of them and sold them to the papers. He or she was severely punished. Did you look over the People article?"

I flipped through that one, finding a full page picture of me in one of my X-Men uniforms. The caption was rating me in the top ten sexy superheroes of the year. "What the hell is this?" I shrieked.

"Hey, I thought that one was cool," Jake smirked across the seats at me.

"No. Not cool… I'm supposed ta be scary, not sexy! This is…" I struggled to find a real phrase and settled on, "Defamation of character. Right?"

He looked over at me like I was the crazy one, "I though you'd be happy about that, Fangs. It's all good publicity. You're a hero. Everyone loves you. Oprah's people even called looking for an interview."

"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," I snapped. "I don't want ANY publicity. And going on live TV?" I ranted, "That's like putting myself on open season for the bounty hunters. This is SO stupid…This is-"

"It is what it is, Fangs," Jake cut me off.

I snarled and pouted, knowing he was right. Throwing the magazines into the back seat, my scowl was wasted on his tinted windows. I'd lived in the shadows for my entire life, even before I had mutant powers. The idea of a spotlight being shone on my irritated me to no end.

"Well, I agree with people," he continued to pester me, "You are sexy." I gave him a dark look and so he added quickly, "And with you. You're scary too."

My scowl returned to the windshield.

"Yep," the man muttered, "Sure have missed that sunny personality…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, or maybe it was in the morning, Jake dropped me off at my decent-enough motel.

"You sure you don't wanna just stay at the school? Your room's still there, just like you left it."

I smiled politely for his benefit, "I'm fine here."

When I reached back in for my coat he grabbed my arm suddenly remembering the scratches, "How's that looking…Oh my God, Fangs…" he held it up for me, as if I'd never seen it before. "They're gone…Was that you? Or some weird voodoo-gypsie magic?"

He looked so serous that I had to laugh at him.

"What?" more confusion.

"My healing factor's been pushed up a notch since Sabertooth…you know," I avoided the term 'killed me'.

"That's crazy," he pulled my arm in closer to his face, "Like Logan's or something…"

"No where near that fast," I removed myself from the car and straightened out, "But its helpful, yea."

"Does anyone know about this?"

"No," I gave him a meaningful look. "See you around."

"Well, wait, should I tell…anyone about it?"

"Good night, Jake," I shut the door on whatever his next argument was. Boys…they've always gotta spread the gossip…

I stayed in Denver for a couple of weeks, viciously reminding people that my reputation was that of a dangerous adversary, NOT a celebrity. I was still in Denver when I got the phone call.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

K, thanks for waiting so long. This is the last of the 'past tense' chapters. From now on, Cougar's a captive of Blackstone, again. The next chapter I post (which might be tonight, I'll see how tired I am) is just going to be previous 'present tense' chapters so that you guys remember what was going on and everything, then YOU don't have to click through all of them again….so don't get super excited when you see the next one. Thanks for the reviews, keep em coming!


	21. Chapter 21

**Review Replies:** (Only one? Sad day)

Kirby12: Thank you for reviewing! Wolf's gonna be back near the end, but like I said before, she's based on my rl best friend, so I don't wanna write her too much and make her weird or anything. I'm glad you like her though. I had fun writing the circus scene, and if you read over her capture scene, you'll get the fortune teller's warning.

**Quote:**

OK guys, this is just a recap chapter, so don't get too excited, you've read it all before (so you don't have to read it if you don't want to and I don't really expect reviews) But I figured this would be easier than flipping through all the chapters or reading it all over again. Also, its going to be REALLY LONG because its technically three chapters put into one. That being said, it might be a bit disconnected, but it should be follow able. I've only got three or four chapters left of this fic, so…be excited!

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting at the bar, I order another Pepsi. The bartender reluctantly brings me one. He isn't being rude because I'm a mutant (big surprise in these times) but because I'm not ordering anything expensive. I pay with a big tip to compensate for my non-alcoholic beverage.

I can't afford to get drunk because I'm waiting for an anti-mutant protest to break out in the very mutant-tolerant bar that I'm sitting in. Word on the street is that they are going to rough up the staff and chase out all the mutants. How original.

It's just going to be a few punks from a local gang that wants to affiliate itself with the FoH. Wanna-be's irritate me.

My phone rings. Since no one actually knows the number, I answer cautiously, "Hello?"

Static, then a familiar voice whispers, "Cougar?"

I'm on my feet and half way out the door before I demand, "Who is this?"

Quiet buzz of the other line, then the voice answers, "Wolf...I'm in –ble...let me..."

"What?" I yell in to the phone, drawing all sorts of unwanted attention. "What's going on?"

"Feds won't...leave...-et me?...Francisco...-ome get me?"

"San Francisco?" I ask, racing down the alley ways to an old lot where I'd left my pickup truck. "Gimme an hour and I'll get the team together."

"No!" that comes through loud and clear, "I don't... –et them too."

My steps slow, "Nay, we might need help."

"...alone. I'll be wait-...the bridge."

"Hold on," I fumble for my keys, "Stay on the line." My phone's quiet though and I check it to confirm that the call has been lost. "Dangit," I growl, and fling my pickup door open.

I sped down back streets that I'd been prowling for months, now completely familiar with them. Hopefully someone is at the Hotel. The gate is closed, making me park outside the grounds. I don't have a key anymore, so I scale the gate with little effort and a lot of mumbled curses. After sprinting to the front door, I find that that, too, is locked.

"Since when do you people care so much about security?" I ask no one in particular. I could have picked the locks but it would undoubtedly set off all the alarms in the school. I opt for pressing the door bell repeatedly in the most annoying manner. Finally some one swings open the door.

Lisa is still dressed, I assume because she's still up this late working. "Yes, who-" her eyes fly open when she notices me, "Cougar! What are you...I mean-"

I brush past her, "Where's the team?"

"Come in," she offers sarcastically, having regained her composure. "The X-Men are out on a mission to the south...that's all I know."

I roll my eyes, "God, Lisa, ya say it like I'm gonna try ta beat the truth outta ya." I start toward the hanger.

"Well, from our end that seems to be what you're good at these days," she remarks dryly before realizing that I'm not waiting in the parlor or what ever the fancy word for that room would be. "Cougar, where are you going?"

"I need the mini jet," I answer without breaking stride.

"Excuse me? You're not authorized to fly either of the jets; you're not on the team anymore."

I slam open the door to the hanger. My life, as of late, has forced me to be on the paranoid side. I don't even notice anymore that I check behind every door. I reply off handedly, "Hey, once an X-Man, always an X-Man, right?" I pause by the mini.

"I believe that rule is for _rejoining _X-Men, not borrowing their million dollar aircrafts," she stands infront of me.

I stop to narrow my eyes, "Listen, Lisa, I didn't wanna come back like this-"

"We were under the impression that you didn't want to come back at all."

"OK," I move to the cabinets lining the walls and take out a small tracking device, "I'll be low-jacked the whole time. When they get back from 'the south', have them track me ta where I go and then they can yell at me. Totally not yer fault." I place the magnetic tracker on the belly of the plane.

"I can't let you do this. You'll just have to wait until Crayola and the rest get back," she crosses her arms over her chest and stands her ground.

I stare coldly at her, "Wolf is in trouble. I'm takin' the jet. Don't make me take it from _you_ specifically."

She stands still, though I can see her throat swallow. "I-"

My foot connects with the side of her head. To be nice, I catch her before she crashes to the cement floor. "Sorry, Lisa, but I don't have time for this."

It had been awhile, but it's more or less like riding a bike. I fly out of Denver at max speed and aim for the San Francisco bridge. It seems like it takes forever.

I donn't know how legal it is to park a jet on the grass, but I do it anyway. I use my cell to call back the number that Wolf had reached me on but all I get is a happy woman saying that it's no longer a working number.

I start to slink around under the bridge and get only a few feet into the shadows when a voiced calls out through the dark.

"So you're the infamous Cougar?" It's a man's voice. He sounds more bored than interested in who I am. "I thought that you were supposed to be hard to find. Arriving in a jet attracts a little too much attention for your reputation, doesn't it?"

My cat eyes scann the darkness and find the owner of the voice leaning up against a wall. He has weird goggles over the top half of his face and through the straps across his head I can see his short hair is thinning noticeably. "Who are you?" I demand, moving silently to my right. His head turns to follow me. Aha. Heat signature goggles.

"A man of little importance to the world but of a great deal to you at this exact time."

My senses crank up and I scan the area wearily, "Where's Wolf?" I continue moving toward him.

"Wolf… Oh, yes, you see she is what we call affiliated (with the government none the less) so we can't touch her. You, on the other hand are what we call rogues. And it's open season on rogues."

A tranquillizer dart slams into my shoulder, making me snarl in both pain and at my own stupidity.. I've been set up. I pull the dart out and toss it away. My leather coat may have been heavy enough to keep some of the drug out of my body. My instincts kick in: Fight or Flight?

I lunge at the man, a mere distraction, but still, I want to spill his blood if nothing else. He turns to run but I'm on him too quickly, shredding through his clothes and skin of his turned back. He screams right before another dart hits my own back.

I throw off my coat, dislodging the needle from my skin, but the drugs are taking effect.

Flight time. I try to run to the jet but there are two or three black shapes that my fuzzing eyes can't distinguish until one of them tackles me to the ground. Like a cornered cat, I bite and claw and do a satisfying amount of damage to the one man and the second that has come to help. They pull away from me suddenly, leaving their skin in my claws. Then a tazer hits me and I'm out cold.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"_She's got a lot of blood on her.."_

"_It doesn't smell like its all hers."_

"_Good, I hope she cut those bastards up real good."_

"_She looks familiar…"_

"_She's an X-Man."_

With those words, reaching through the darkness that is me, I snap awake. My eyes fly open; the light in the room is blinding, sending white hot spikes through my skull. I blink rapidly to regain my vision. Blurs become shapes, then people, then women. Seven women. Seven mutant women. My hackles rise uncontrollably. Seven feral mutant women.

There are several classes of mutants based on their powers: telepaths, shape shifters, telekinetics, plasma blasters, ferals, etc. Most ferals can sense others of their kind, kind of like how telepaths can tell if there is another one of their kind in the same room. Some pick up on this more readily than others. When another feral is close by, I can feel them and, more often than not, sense their energy as dangerous or weak or scared, or whatever. Wolverine comes off as dangerous, but not to the point that I feel threatened. Sabertooth comes off as scary-gonna-kill-me dangerous. See the difference?

I realize that I've been staring at nothing and thinking this over for quite some time.

Slowly I sit up and look around with warranted suspicion. A woman who looks like a white fluffy house cat, bushy tail included, sits across the room. Another woman with short black fur, a human face, panther teeth and ears stands next to her. Someone crouches near me with cat teeth and eyes like mine, no claws though. One looks normal but her eyes kept shifting into cat eyes. A girl without fur but tattooed tiger stripes and filed teeth stares curiously at me. Her teeth may be fake, but her claws look scarier than mine. The one who must have recognized me is a girl with cheetah patterned fur that I'd fought against with the X-Men a while back. She was with a group of ferals calling themselves 'The Pack' and being led by the son of Sabertooth. The last is a young girl, maybe 12 or 13 who looks like a normal person. She feels the same way that my friend Wolf does, making me think she's a shape shifter of some kind.

My memory feels hazy. "Is Wolf here?"

"Who?" the cheetah girl asks, confused.

"Shapeshifts into a wolf…" I become aware of a throbbing headache and a sharp pain on the back of my neck.

"We're all cats here," the tiger tattooed lady answers me.

I reach back to the source of pain and feel a small metal knob stuck into my skin. "What the hell is this?"

"Don't mess with it!" she hisses, jumping away from me. The others move nervously to the edges of the white metal room.

I freeze, "Why?"

"It's how they control us," the white cat purrs, relaxing as I drop my hand. "It sends an electric shock down our bodies if we don't obey fast enough. They told us that if we try to remove it, it'll explode."

"Perfect," I growl taking in my surroundings a little better, "Where are we?"

"No one knows for sure," Tiger-Lady shruggs, "I have the vague sense that we're south of the equator though. I'm Cara," she looks at me expectantly.

"She's Cougar," the cheetah-girl answers for me, "Cougar of the X-Men, right? Does that mean we're going to be rescued?"

I blink slowly and shake my head, confused, "What did ya mean 'we're all cats here'? What is this place?"

"A zoo?" the panther-looking woman answers me with a shrug. She spoke with an Indian accent. "They keep collecting mutants with feline attributes. My name is Sasha, by the way. Sara called you Cougar, correct?" After my slight nod she continues, "I've been here the longest. All they've done is push food through the door. You are an X-Man?" She looks at me hopefully.

I look down at my uniform. The X-Men emblem had been removed almost a year ago. "Not recently."

"What's that mean," the cheetah—Sara—asks hostilely, "You were last year when The Pack fought against you. So what, they're not coming?"

"I'm not with the X-Men right now, but I stole their jet right before I was…" I look for a proper word, "Taken. So they'll probably come looking for me, yea." I raise an eyebrow at her, "What about you? No rescue from yer pack?"

She doesn't seem to take offense when she answers, "They split up. Haven't seen any of them since your X-Men kicked our butts."

I grunt and look at the room itself. Cameras in every corner, a toilet in one, too, a big metal door in the front with a slit on the bottom, presumably for food.

"So, ex-X-Man," Cara asks with an accent that sounds much like Ambers when we'd first met, "Any ideas on how to bust outta here?"

My mind flies as fast as it can, given the circumstances. None of my plans are any good, though, until I know exactly what I'm up against. Time to gather information. "What are yer names and powers and how did they capture you?"

They all hesitate a moment before the youngest pipes up, "My name's Trinity. I can…shapeshift into a jaguar, or a leopard, I'm not sure which. Some men came to my home one night and were talking with my dad, but he sent me to my room. After awhile, the men came back in and took me." The kid's eyes start welling up, "And Dad told me to do what they said and they gave me a shot…And I woke up here with Sasha and Callie."

The woman with the real fangs gives the girl a sideways hug and speaks out, "I'm Callie. I've got enhanced animal-like senses and hear things that normal people can't. And I've got weird teeth," she absently touches her mouth. "I was gettingoff of work late one night," she hesitates, trying to remember the details, "I got to the parking lot and it was dark…the lights weren't working or something. I could smell the other guys coming after me…but there was one that was hiding somewhere; maybe under my car? I think they hit me with a stun gun or something. I just remember waking up here after that."

The cheetah girl goes next. "My real name's Sara, but when I was running with The Pack, they all called me Spots. I was out for a walk in New Orleans, visiting some friends and a bunch of guys dove out of this alley. I just thought they were creepers, you know? So I scratched them up pretty bad, but they knocked me out with tranquilizer guns." This seems to offend her, "Like I'm some sorta animal, you know?"

The room tsk tsk's. Sasha begins her story quietly, "In India, some places respect mutants as people, but others view them as below the Untouchables in the old caste system. Once I began to look like this, my father sold me to a slave holder. I was bought again by a wealthy land owner who thought of mutants as exotic, especially when they were doing his house keeping or landscaping. He sold me to a group of men who put a bag over my head and told me to do as I was told. They brought me here."

"I go by the name of Puddy," The white cat purrs the name. "My only 'powers' as you call them, are my looks. I was working at a hotel for people that…have a thing for animals. Most of the girls dress the part, but I'm in high demand there. The boss sent me to a room with a customer. We had drinks. I only remember the first one; he must have laced it with something. The next thing I remember was waking up here."

The tattooed girl laughs huskily. "Mine's the same story." Unlike Puddy who spoke softly with a slight purr, this one, Cara, speaks with a tough Bronx accent. "I strip at this place that uses mutants with weird looks to 'em. The pay's lousy, but its somethin' and you get free food and drinks while you're there. Some guy brought me a drink and I didn't even think about Ruffies. I thought one of the bosses woulda stopped them from draggin' me out. I made them alotta money."

"What are yer powers?" I ask, filing all of this information away.

"Just the claws, I had my teeth done up like this and the tats for work. But I got this sixth sense going on. I always know what direction I'm going. That's why I think we're south of the equator. The inner compass is all messed up."

The last woman begins, the one with the changing eyes. "I'm Leah. I'm a shape shifter, like Trinity, but I only shift half way, like a werewolf only catty. Someone broke into my apartment one night. A man, but there could have been more. I heard a noise and woke up to see him aim what I thought was real gun at me but it was just a tranquillizer dart."

"How long have you guys been here?" I ask, mulling over the facts.

"What's the date?" Sasha asks back.

"September 23, give or take a day," I remember what day I was captured and add a couple.

She looks shocked," I was brought here in January. The others came within two or three months."

Sara interrupts, " I was the last one to be brought here and it was like, in the beginning of May. Why such a time gap?"

"Maybe," I think out loud, "they didn't know where ta find me."

"But they knew where to find us?" Leah asks nervously.

"One of my powers is ta go unnoticed," I explain. "Most of you guys weren't in hiding or anything. Maybe they just weren't sure where ta look for me." And , I think to myself, if they waited that long, maybe they want _me_ in particular.

Just then, the door unlocks and swing open. A man, clearly on steroids, points a remote control into the room and orders, "Against the wall, mutants."

Everyone obeys, either with fear on their face or boredom. I hesitate, then follow suit. These guys knew I was Cougar, a former X-Man, and about my powers. I know nothing about them and won't if I start the game swinging.

The guard stands to the side of the door as three men came in wearing lab coats and holding clip boards. They zeroe in on me immediately. I hadn't realized that my powers had been down. Hopefully they haven't done permanent damage. My unnoticeable-ness is a mainstay in my life.

"Well, well, well, Cougar. It seems that you've become more compliant over the years." A familiar voice slides through the doorway, followed by a man dressed in a dark business suit. "I do hope that it's not a permanent trait. I promised these men a fighter."

My eyes widen, but just a little, then narrow to slits. "Blackstone," I spit the name out.

He smiles politely, "It's a pleasure to see you again, too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I see you remember me," Mr. Blackstone smiles slightly. "Welcome to your new home."

"Gimme one reason why I shouldn't rearrange yer windpipe," I glare across the metal room at him.

The guards tense, and I glance between them menacingly.

"Because, with a wave of my magic wand," he holds up a remote control, "I can explosively remove your spinal cord. Let me demonstrate."

Electrical impulses course through my body and I drop to the ground. My gritted teeth muffle my screams as my body seizures uncontrollably. It stops and all I hear is a low chuckle and my own ragged breathing. I uncurl myself from a ball and stumble to my feet, glowering heatedly at the horrible man.

"Have I made myself clear?" he smiles politely.

"Perfectly. In fact, I can see right through you," I growl.

"Good. Lets go for a walk."

I resist the urge to glance at the other girls, just follow him out, shadowed by the two guards and their guns.

The hallway is metal, steel, plain with irregularly placed doors without windows. My mind counts the doors on both sides while staring straight ahead. Collect information. Don't fight. Mentally I sigh; I want to hurt someone. Badly.

"I believe the last time we saw each other, you were coming out of 'the hole' and not cooperating with me."

"Ya saw me when ya had that shapeshifter pose as me," I remind him.

"Yes," he concedes pleasantly, "But he wasn't so colorful. Do you know what happened after you left my island?"

"I know what happened ta me." I knew what happened to him too. He was supposed to still be in jail.

"A number of months after you were transferred to the other island; a couple of weeks after your commercial début, in fact my island was invaded by a large number of government officials. Despite my previous agreement with the governor of Hawaii, my operation was shut down and my workers were released."

"You mean your slaves." I correct, staring straight ahead. "It's called the emancipation proclamation."

He continues as if I hadn't spoken, "I was charged with unauthorized imprisonment, forgery of legal documents and a number of other crimes."

"Yet here we are," I pipe up as we turn left down a hall.

"I wasn't the only investor in my project. I owed certain people and groups quite a bit of money. The researchers here, or rather, the investors behind the researchers, offered me a deal. I got out of prison through a loop hole and am now indebted to this project."

"And what is 'this project'?" We take a right. The hall looks the same.

"That I do not know. But they were looking for mutants with certain criteria. You match that criteria."

"Ya don't say, "I comment, dryly.

"I had no idea what had happened to you, if you'd been killed by the other exiles or simply starved to death. Our population counts over the island became zero quite suddenly.

"Yup," I didn't offer him any more information.

"By chance, I saw you on the news with the X-Men, and it became clear to me what had gone wrong with my island." He turns on me angrily. I see the attack coming, but to avoid confrontation, I block his hand and refrain from a counter. It doesn't cool him off any.

"You sent the X-Men there to destroy all that I'd worked for! You ruined my life-"

"_Your_ life?" I ask in disbelief, "I was 15 years old!"

"And I saved you from dying at the hands of those law enforcement men."

We're playing that game, huh? "And I saved _you_ from an attack by Magneto. You wouldn't have been recognizable as a human to the coroner after he got through with you," I point out heatedly. Truthfully I didn't persuade Magneto to leave him alone, I simply distracted him from his revenge.

Hey, my statement catches him off guard. I continue rationally, "Now you know the types of people I've worked with. You know that keeping me here is another disaster waiting to happen." We stop walking but I continue to speak, "If I'm not rescued by _someone_ or a group of someones, I'm gonna bust outta here myself." I narrow my eyes at him for effect, "And if thats the case, I'm comin' after you,and I'm bringin' this place ta the ground."

He smiles smugly at me, "If you even _think_ of escaping," the door we were standing in front of opens; we're back at the cell, "I'll blow each and every one of their brains out, starting with the child."

I turn to follow his gaze to Trinity, who whimpers audibly. My glare returns to his damn face.

"Good day, Cougar."

I'm shoved back into the cell, and turn to see the door close loudly.

This is not good.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Through my left eye, the one not swollen shut, I watch the floor slowly pass by. I lift my head enough to confirm that they are, indeed, dragging me back into the cell and not another blood room. That's what I call them. The goons say Lab Room whatever.

The guard on the left drops my arm to swipe his security card and I crash to the floor, grunting at the old aches and bruises.

"Get up, mutie," the other guard barks, yanking on my right side.

I don't comply. Even if I could move, I wouldn't help that pig.

The first guard pulls a remote control out of a pocket and points it threateningly into the room as the door slides open. "Against the wall, freaks," he orders.

I glance up through my blood matted hair to see movement of obedience, then I'm roughly thrown into the center of the room. A snarl rips from my throat as I hit the cold metal floor and roll, but its wasted effort. They're gone before I can even sit up. Instead of cursing the door—which I've been doing frequently—I turn back to the other bodies in the room, doing a mental head count. Callie, Trinity, Sara. It hurts to use my jaw still, but I ask, "Where's Leah?"

"They took her," the cheetah-furred Sara answers, "right after they got you."

I growl slightly but push myself up onto my hands and knees. Its the farthest I can get right now.

"You need to stop fighting..." Callie warns me, bringing a wet rag that, long ago, I'd stained red.

"Where's the fun in that?" I grin angrily, then spit a stream of blood.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

K, here we are, all caught up. Sorry if there's any weird tense switches, I tried to proof read this one pretty well.

It's been too long. When I first arrived at this...place...my internal clocks were still working. I had a vague recollection of day or night or time. Now its all melted. The florescent light is always on, always buzzing above our heads. There's no consistent periods between when the guards come and take one of us away or when/if they bring us back.

I wake up from an uncomfortable position propped against the cold metal wall. Something heavy weighs on my thigh and I look down to see Trinity's head resting on it. I carefully move the girl and she stays asleep as I get up and stretch the kinks and knots from my muscles. Lexi is still missing and with a sick feeling weighing on my empty stomach, I conclude that she's not coming back.

The other girls are still sleeping so I do my pacing silently, observing the room; checking every square inch for cracks, holes, weaknesses; trying to take stock of what we have and how we can use it. We're all barefoot. They'd taken our shoes and clothes and given us black cotton pants and long sleeved shirts. They looked like pajamas, which I find ironic because PJ's are comfortable where as nothing in this place brings comfort.

I flex and open my fingers, watching my bloody claws. Finally, I sigh and sit back down. I'm tired again and annoyingly weak.

"They're not coming," Sara whispers.

I look across the room to where she's curled up on the floor and staring her green cat eyes back at my golden ones. My mouth opens and closes. I don't know what to say because I'm not sure if they're coming. I had known that they were, then had hoped, and now I'm starting to doubt that they're coming.

She stares a little longer then closes her wide eyes again.

I lean the back of my head against the wall and stare at a spot on the ceiling.

"Why did you leave? I thought they were the good guys," Trinity crawls across the floor to huddle next to Callie, who's awake now too. "Why would you leave the good guys?"

They're all looking at me now. "We...disagreed."

Sara stretches like a house cat as she asks, "Does that mean they kicked you out?"

"No," I answer blandly, "I left."

"But _why _would you leave the X-Men?" Trinity presses.

I stare at the spot in the ceiling.


	22. Chapter 22

**Review Replies:**

Dipsey: Thanks for the welcome, I'm glad your still reading. This is going to go kind of fast, but have lots of good parts, I hope. And it's gonna answer lots of questions in the next two or three chapters. Enjoy!

Wolfy: You have to review this chapter too, and lemme know if you get the whole Queen of cups and two of swords thingy. And yay for you coming up in a week or two!

Wolf dude: Haha, I like your enthusiasm. I think I have the ending figured. Its satisfying for me, and that's who I write for (same goes with the romance, everyone wants to SEE it, but I'm leaving it out, tho its kind of hinting that there is some tension in that department). As for writing my own stuff, it never occurred to me to go to Marvel, but I'm so out of date and touch with the current stuff, I don't think I'd be any good. I am, actually ending my fanfic writing to work on a book/novel of my own. Kind of science fiction fantasy. I don't know, its been bouncing around in my head for a couple years now, so I might as well get it out there. So this is the end for Cougar. If I get writers block on my book tho, I'll post a few one-shots of past experiences maybe. Something to look forward too, I hope. Thanks for the review, and I'll check out your story at a more decent hour (I get up early, so I have to be in bed early). I might not review because I'm horrible at that, but I'll definitely check it out.

**Quote: (**after a bloodied Mal beats Atherton in a sword duel, he has him on the ground, but doesn't kill him)

**Harrow:** "You have to finish it, lad. You have to finish it. For a man to lay beaten... and yet breathing? It makes him a coward."

**Inara:** "It's humiliation."

**Mal:** "Sure. It would be humiliating. Having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man. _(lightly stabs Atherton with the sword)_ Guess I'm just a good man. _(stabs him again)_ Well, I'm all right."

**Chapter 22**

It isn't until after I arrive that they start removing us from the room. We're taken separately, and even if more than one of us leaves, we never see each other. No one says it out loud, but I'm pretty sure we all know that they're testing us.

The tests start out simple. Health, endurance, heart rates, blood pressures, that sort of stuff. But then they start to change. Instead of running on a tread mill, I have to run around a track barefoot that shocks me if I don't keep a certain pace. I'm submerged to near drowning several times to see how long I can last under water. They do pain endurance tests using the knobs on the back of my neck to see how I can function under the pain. Really weird stuff.

Next the drugs start coming. They inject me with things that can either make me feel fluish or hallucinate about demons coming and dragging me to hell. They have Creed's face. I have no voice for two days after that one. When they threw me back into the cell, still going crazy, the other girls tell me that I just keep screaming 'He's coming!'

For a time, they have fun with my healing powers. Strapped to a chair, they burn me, slice me, break bones and bruise me. Even I'm impressed with myself. A broken finger takes two and a half days to mend. That's better than when I was on the streets. I think it has to do with the stress.

Throughout it all, I continue to fight them fang and claw. Given any opportunity, I rip the flesh from the guards, the doctors, the technicians, who ever is stupid enough to get close. Blackstone, however, keeps a safe distance at all times. He's the one that I'm hoping to wound…

"I thought we had an understanding, Cougar," he asks me one day, standing a good distance away.

"The deal," I reply between ragged breaths, "Was that…I don't try ta escape." Looking up from the pool of blood that isn't mine, I shake off the effects of his electric 'reprimand'. My face is covered in the arterial spray from the guard that I'd almost killed. "I aint goin' no where. Way I see it, yer all stuck in here me."

He doesn't appreciate my loop-hole logic.

After awhile, the girls start leaving and not coming back. We lose half the room in one week. By the next, it's down to me and three others; Callie, Trinity, and Sara.

As Trinity, the youngest member of our…zoo collection, for lack of a better phrase…sleeps curled against Callie, the cheetah girl tiptoes over to me.

Looking over my half-healed face, she whispers, "You really should stop fighting them…"

Her tone isn't very convincing. Sara is a lot like me; very angry, full of rage that she can pull out and use to fuel her beast. She had fought them too. We were the only ones to be returned bloodied and battered beyond necessary. She stopped fighting when the others stopped coming back.

"It scares her," she nods to the sleeping 13 year old.

I stare at Trinity awhile before whispering back, "Don't you think it'd scare her more if I didn't fight? She still thinks there's hope."

"There's not." Sara admits bluntly, "And you know that, too. Where ever the others are going, we're all gonna end up there too, whether it's another cell or a hole in the ground."

We both sit for awhile against the wall, our knees drawn up and our arms resting on them. "They started doin' psychological experiments on me," I state, apparently out of the blue.

My companion doesn't look over but sighs, "Yea, me too."

"I got this theory," I tell her, still eyeing the sleepers, "With the X-Men, there were stories of mutants used for military stuff. Wolverine was one of them, you know? His swiss-cheese memory is because the Weapon X program messed with his mind and erased a bunch of stuff from it. Maybe that's what they're tryin' ta do here. Maybe the others aren't dead, just reprogrammed."

"Well," Sara answered blandly, "That would explain why you're still here. Your skull's probably too thick for them to get into."

I let out the slightest laugh and Callie stirs a little. She disappears next.

XXX

I have this trick figured. There's a few female scientists working on us. After I'd started memorizing their faces, I realized I can tell when a day has past by their hair changes. Everyone wears lab coats and slacks, but there's no regulation on ponytails and buns.

It is three hair changes after Callie leaves that an unusual number of guards comes to collect all of us.

Sara's lead down the hall to the left. Trinity and I are herded to the right. After a few moments, I can hear a scuffle.

"She's fighting them," Trinity whispers.

Quickly she's corrected by a hard push, "No talking."

I openly snarl at the bully, causing him to flinch ever so slightly. "Keep yer hands off of her." I recognize the guard; my claws are the reason for his irregular gait. "Or maybe I'll make that limp of yers permanent."

"Dirty bitch," he grumbles but doesn't dare attack me. It might mess up the experiment's results.

"I'll cut out yer tongue, too," I threaten, knowing that I'll get the last word.

At the next hallway, we're split up again and even my hard heart breaks at the pleading look that the girl gives me.

I'm strapped to a chair and left alone long enough to get really angry. A head researcher follows Blackstone through the door. I'm not sure if he shadows all of the experiments or just enjoys watching me suffer.

"Where are the other girls?" I demand, like I've demanded every time that I see him.

Surprisingly, he answers this time…sort of. ""Perhaps, if you would quit resisting, you'll join them shortly."

The scientist humphs and rolls his eyes ever so slightly , but otherwise ignores my stare.

"Why do you continue fighting us, I wonder, when you know that there's no hope for you?"

This was a different ploy. I answer while eyeing the scientist and his large syringe, "Cuz I aint the kind ta roll over and play dead."

"I would never expect play from you," he smirks as the needle enters my vein.

XXX

A chair is placed in front of me. The sound of it grating across the metal floor seems to echo around through my skull.

"Bring her in," the doctor orders and then his voice replaces the chairs scraping. My head feels like the Grand Canyon. I stare at the floor and try to focus my thoughts. A herd of heels crashes into me next but when I look up, it's only one woman. She sits in the chair across from me and gets the usual surprised/annoyed look that psychics get when they realize that I'm sitting right in front of them.

She's very beautiful with rich, dark, wavy hair and hazel eyes, framed with long lacey lashes. Her full, pouty lips are stained vibrant red and the rest of her face is covered in make up; the kind that women put on to make them look 'natural' and makeup free. I feel very dumpy next to her, with my greasy, unwashed hair, blood soiled skin, and pajama-looking uniform. Plus my teeth feel like they're wearing fuzzy slippers. Ew.

"Is she strong enough?" Blackstone inquires.

'_Enough, enough, enough, enough'_ rings around in my head.

The woman sneers haughtily back at him and replies in a language close to Spanish. Portuguese, I realize.

"The drugs should help," the doctor adds.

As 'help' bounces around, I feel a slight tingle on my mind, as odd as that may sound. The hair on the back of my neck rises up and my psychic shields slam into place, closing my mind from the attack.

The woman looks sharply at me, then accuses the men of something. She uses the word, _mental_. Psychic. Blackstone glowers at me then tells her, "Try harder."

I shake my head and ignore the room rolling around me. Fixing a glare on the telepath, I stare off with her awhile, knowing that she's searching my shields for a crack, anything that she can pry her nasty little psyche into.

"My mental shields," I drawl, "were put in my Professor Charles Xavier himself. Not even he could get in after that." it's a slight exaggeration; he never actually tried that hard.

"Dig deeper," Blackstone snaps.

"Your beauty queen aint got a chance," I insist.

Her brow creases.

"Shut up," he sneers.

"Prison's hardened you," I taunt back, not taking my eyes off the woman. "Don't hurt yerself," I smirk at her.

There isn't an echo in my head anymore, but my muscles are seizing up now. I try to ignore it and, instead, picture my mental shields. I see them as solid cast iron, a fortress encompassing my thoughts. I close my eyes against her hazel ones as she pounds on the metal.

I remember Xavier's psychic defense classes. Everyone has slight psychic abilities; we only use 15% or our brains, after all. I reach down and dig out my anger and pain to the surface. I bring out the raw emotions of my inner beast; my feral mindset; my cougar, pissed about being caged. The beast leaps out of the darkness with a snarl.

The psychic gasps and flies back against her chair, bringing it up on two legs.

My eyes open.

"What happened?" the scientists presses. When the psychic continues to gape at me he repeats impatiently, "What was that?"

"She fought off my psychic attack," she answers, completely lacking the haughty tone of before. "You told me she wasn't psychic."

"She's not," Blackstone snaps.

"She's not an _active_ psychic," oh, she gets the snotty voice back, "She can't _actively_ attack but she has passive powers and can defend herself you **morons**!" She seethes up at them, "I could have been turned into a vegetable!"

Oh yea, Xavier told me that once. You think I should've mentioned that to them? "Yer nose is bleedin', princess," I do mention.

She switches back to Portuguese to curse at me.

My empty stomach begins to cramp up and roll around. Barfing on the enemy, though effective, is Very Uncool.

"Get her out of here," Blackstone dismisses the woman with a wave of his hand. Guards escort her out, forcefully. I can't understand all of what she's yelling, but she's still demanding her money. The man glowers at me.

"It's not a failure," the doctor reassures him, "This may be to our advantage. All we have to do is-"

"Shut up," the other man cuts him off angrily, "Don't let her know anything."

I fiddle against my restraints. The room's heaving around again. Both men turn and stare at me like I'm a complex math problem.

What if you gave her more?"

"It would probably kill her. This far along, the risk isn't worth it; not for something so unnecessary. There are other ways. This one was just the simplest."

I drag my heavy head up and squint at the four of them…or two…yea…there's two. "Lets share yer secrets with the rest of the class, huh?"

They both stare at me while Blackstone motions to the guard at the door, "Put her out."

I try not to tense up as he brings the butt of his gun against my head. It'll hurt less that way.

XXX

The cell is empty when I wake up.

My legs feel like slinkey's but I pace the room anyway, shaking off the drugged feeling. I count my footsteps; I time the seconds it takes for one full lap; I rest for awhile, then do some sit ups, push ups, lunges, whatever I can think of. I try to go to sleep, listening to only my breathing. It takes me a long time.

_Women are screaming my name in the darkness; but I can't see them._

_Creed chases me through a railroad tunnel and when we reach the other side, he pushes me off of a cliff into the ocean. _

_As I start to drown, something grabs my leg and pulls me under, shoving me inside an oyster shell with oxygen in it. It's my friend, Wolf, but she's a mermaid._

"_What are you doing here? Where are we?" I gasp, looking around the cold Alaskan tundra._

"_The queen of cups," she says, now dressed like an Inuit, "Gazes into the chalice of water. Reflection, intuition, seeing without seeing."_

"_What?" We're in a desert now. Back in Australia, a kangaroo bounds in between us and she's dressed like Steve Irwin._

"_The two of swords sits with a blade on each side, a blind fold covering her eyes, but she is composed."_

_The earth cracks and shifts around us. Old buildings shoot into the sky and we're in an urban sprawl. "What are you talking about?" I try to make sense of her words._

"_Where are you?" She locks eyes with me and digs her fingers into my arm._

_The world crumbles and trees take the place of bricks. Tall, jungle trees with vines and flowers._

"_Tell me where you are." Wolf's hand grips tighter._

"_I can't…it could be a trap." I try to back away. The cougar from my earlier psychic battle stands to my side. A gray wolf shakes off its coat beside my friend. Our beasts stare off._

_Something tightens around my neck and I struggle to breathe. Both beasts turn and snarl at me._

"_Calla!" Wolf screams, letting me go a second before I-_

I wake up with a stereotypical gasp. No one is back yet. I can tell from the kinks in my neck that I'd slept for awhile. Stretching, my wrist alerts me to soreness. When I look, finger prints are just starting to fade…I must have been gripping myself in my sleep. A bad dream maybe…Something nags at the back of my mind, but I let it go. My life is full of bad dreams. Hell, I was living in a nightmare.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK, a little short, but I thought you'd like it posted. Hope you enjoy. Review please and keep reading.


	23. Chapter 23

**Review Replies:**

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Thanks, I was kind of fond of that chapter myself. I know this one took awhile, but life's kinda hectic right now, so I'm getting them out as I can. Read, review and enjoy.

Dispey: Yay, you're the only one who picked up on her dream as psychic outreach! Thanks, and keep reading.

Wolf: yea, cougar's gonna be messed up for awhile, but its all gonna be good. The quote was from Firefly. Awesome miniseries on netflix, then the movie serenity. Very funny. U should watch it.

Kirby: Lol, I don't know about you, but my dream sequences are never normal, so I can only imagine how weird dreams would be all drugged up. That thing will be answered a little later.

WolfDude: I was into tarot for awhile, and thought I'd bring it back. That'll all be figured out later, though. And she was stupid and decided to fight the people instead of reaching into her pocket and calling for back up. So her chapstick was taken with her coat (she'll be kicking herself in later chapters, I think).

Brandibuckeye: Thanks Woot to New Fan! Hopefully this chapter will answer some of your questions. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

WinterWarrior: I loved writing the telepath part (Almost left it out, but I just couldn't :D). I just had to write Cougar as a pain in the arse…its fun!

**Quote: **When other little girls wanted to be ballet dancers I kind of wanted to be a vampire. ==Angelina Jolie

**Chapter 23**

The tests continue. Some are physical-I can feel how much weaker I've become over time. I exercise when and however I can, but poor diet, cramped spaces and routine torture makes it hard to stay fit. They bring back the psychic. She's wearing different clothes and jewelry; her hair and make up are still flawless; so I surmise that she's on commission and not a prisoner like me. I still win, making her very angry.

They take a lot of blood, too.

"You know," I try not to flinch as the female technician starts taking more, "When I was little, my mom used to read to us every night before we went to bed."

She concentrates on jabbing my vein.

"We used to read the Laura Ingles Wilder books. Have you ever read them?" Silence, so I continue to talk about myself (it makes them squeamish when they experiment on me). "The books are much better than the TV show, but they always are. My mom loved those books. She made tapes of herself reading to us, incase anything ever happened, so that we'd always have her voice. One of my favorites was the pokey puppy. Did you ever read those moral-based golden backed books?"

Her face remains neutral, but she turns away. Gotcha.

"Still trying to humanize yourself, Cougar?" Blackstone asks from somewhere behind me.

"Its not that hard ta care about another living thing. Try it sometimes…oh, wait…you'd have ta have a soul first," I retort. He laughs but that's the extent of our banter. "Where are ht other girls?" I've probably asked him this a hundred times.

"Soon…have patience," there's humor in his voice, but its more sadistic than jolly and it makes my skin crawl. "You realize that no one's coming to save you? No help from the X-Men or your werewolf friend."

I frown, this is a different ploy, "Bringing that up outta the blue and all, you getting' nervous or something?"

"Doubtful," he answers quickly…too quickly, maybe.

Two guards come to transport me back to the cell. I stare icily at one in particular. Their radios beep simultaneously and a clam, computerized voice orders, "_Situation 7 in Sector G. All Available personnel respond immediately._"

They glance at each other.

"Hey, Blackstone?" I call over my shoulder, "Yer goons just got real worried lookin'. What's Situation Seven?"

"A water leak," he answers pertly. To the guards he barks, "Get her to her cell and respond."

They mess up. Normally, only one of my hands at a time is released and handcuffed. The cuff isn't closed before the other restraint is opened. My foot connects with a knee cap and my arm shoots free of his grip simultaneously.

Before he can yelp about his leg, I tear my claws through his bicep. Jerking away from the other guard, I jump up and block his baton. It still hurts, but its my arm and not my head, so its all peachy. I plant both my feet into his chest, sending him back before I'm electrically reprimanded. My knees slam into the metal floor and a snarl, my own, is the only thing that I can hear over the thumping of the batons against my head, back and sides.

The pain stops because of a phone call. "Get her out of here and report to sector G you morons," Blackstone growls, picking up the phone.

I'm only back in my cell long enough to shake off the rubberizing effects of the electrocution. Different guards come unexpectedly to retrieve me. They're hurried and impatient.

"Lets go, against the wall," the first one shouts.

"Go ta hell," I snap. If it were simply a water leak, would they be this rushed to move me? Of course not. My agreement with Blackstone was that I wouldn't try to escape; it had nothing to do with being busted out by some one else.

First they zap me, but since I'm still partially numb from earlier, I stay up….kind of. Because of that, they clobber me with their clubs. One specifically slams across my face and takes me down.

Half conscious, they prop me up between them and drag me, running down a long hall. As we round a corner, I can hear Blackstone shouting at someone.

"If we don't' do it now, everything will be lost. They want this phase complete. If we have to track her down later to do the rest, then we will."

The doctor stammers as I'm carried in, "But we haven't gotten all of the data compiled or…" they back look at me, who suddenly can't stop laughing. If my voice wasn't hoarse from screaming, and my face not bashed in from fighting, it would be somewhat of a giggle. Instead, it comes out as a raspy chuckle, with a slight gurgle from blood in my throat.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Blackstone leers down at me.

I spit a slimey red stream and ignore how it trails out of my smirking mouth, "He's coming."

"No one's coming, you idiot," he snaps, marching to a computer. The doctor fidgets . After some rapid typing, he turns the screen toward me. "There, look…."

A dark, stocky figure charges down a hall. The video is muted, but I can still make out the blur of bullets flying towards him, filling the air. They tear through his body and blood sprays out the back. His claws disappear as he collapses to the ground.

"You see? Your 'rescuer' is dead. Put her in the chamber."

I struggle as much as I can as the guards strap my wrists and ankles to a table. Flipping me up verticle my clothes are next cut off and three or four technicians begin inserting Ivs connected to tubes. They run up my arms and legs, into my back and neck, penetrating deep tissues and I try not to scream. Instead I snarl, "You think he aint gonna be here in two minutes ta carve out yer livers?"

The guards take back over, wheeling the table into an upright glass tube as Blackstone yells back, "I've told you, he's dead. We'll bring you to the body when you're done in there…IF you live."

"Don't you idiots know who that is?" I yell, glowering at the guards, trying to get a reaction that I can use. "That's Wolverine…You didn't kill him….you just pissed him off!"

"Get it going," the scientist orders his peons.

I shake my head as they place some kind of mask over my face.

Sealed in the chamber, a syrupy liquid begins to rise from the bottom. I thrash against the restraints, pulling muscles I didn't know existed. As the goo rises to my shoulders, I begin to panic, fogging of the facemask with my hyperventilating. I can't see the tubes any more, but I feel them stiffen like garden hoses when they're first turned on. Fire and ice pur through the large needles. This time I do scream and convulse, and strain against the straps holding me as I'm engulfed in red and pain.

XXX

"_She's an X-Man…"_

"_They're not coming…"_

"_Don't run, girl…"_

"_You're late…"_

"_Not every bird learns to fly…"_

"_Let 'im go, petite…"_

"_You made a choice too,"_

"_Come on, Fangs, it'll be fun…"_

"_Beware the sheep in wolf's clothing…"_

"_It's open season on rogues…"_

XXX

'Gotta get out'

My brain is cotton, my lungs burn from whatever they're pumping into my facemask. My wrists are raw and my ankles are swollen from struggling.

'Calm down, Cougar,' I keep repeating. Twisting and straining, I start to saw one claw through the leather strap around that wrist. Partially freed, I undo my other wrist, then almost give myself a hernia from releasing my ankles. I float in the liquid a second before I feel the hoses fill up again.

I've never felt pain so excruciating. At least when Creed disemboweled me it was centralized. The long needles pump the poison straight into my muscles and bones and blood. Screaming into the mask, I thrash around, unable to control my movements; not knowing up from down, my suffocating world rocks and heaves around me.

My palm slams into the surface of the tank and I leave it there, surrounding me as I ride out the agony.

An ear splitting screech resonates through the liquid and my wall caves away. I'm sucked out through the void, riding the river of blood. The needles stiffen and I begin screaming even before the next wave of toxins hit me.

Guards grab me, to return me to my cell, another cell, or another tank. Any way, I'm going to fight. My claws flail; I can't see through the ooze covered mask, but I'm going to tear through any bit of flesh that I can. The hands drop away and I start ripping the needles and hoses from my flesh.

"Cougar-"

I scream from a particularly deep syringe.

The hands return and I paw at the face that belongs to the hands.

"Hold on, kid," a familiar voice growls, "Just settle down." Wolverine pulls the mask off of me and I gulp at the air.

The blood smell hits me first, he's covered in it. Shaking with either relief or shock, I stare at him unbelievably. Red stuff, shards of glass and hoses surround me kneeling on the floor.

"It's all right," Logan brings me back to him. I'm crying and hadn't realized it.

"Just…" his hands hover over my shoulders, "Hold still…"

Whimpering as he pulls out the last of the tubes, I can't stop shaking or crying. My eyes follow him as he crosses the room to pull the lab coat off of the now-very-dead scientist. I forgot I was naked. Fumbling to button it, I put it on enough to satisfy both of us.

"Can you walk, kid?" Logan asks, already pulling me to my feet, "Watch the glass."

The vertical position makes me dizzy and I'm sure that its me and not the room swaying from side to side.

Keeping a hand on my arm to steady me, he orders, "We gotta move out."

Wolverine checks the hall, then pulls me out the opposite way of my cell. At the corner, he flattens me to a wall and orders, "Stay here," before charging out to meet a hail of bullets.

Numbly, I listen to the guards' screams. Movement behind me turns my head. Blackstone freezes at the sight of me, then backpedals in the direction he came from.

A small voice in my head tells me to leave him, that I'm hurt and that staying with Wolverine is the best bet I'll have for freedom and safety.

But since when have I listened to that voice? No I listen to the growl from my throat and the hot rage building up in my chest. I listen to the voice that tells me to kill him.

Stumbling after him, I follow through a lab, down a second hallway and into a blood room. There, he fails to hit me with a tranquilizer gun. Twice. Moron.

I advance slowly, knowing its intimidating. "Where are the other girls?" Grabbing hold of the first thing on the lab bench I hurl a stand of test tubes at him. When all he does is flinch, I grab colorful beakers and throw those next, still getting closer, "Where are they?"

"I'll let them go," he blurts as I raise my claws, "Let me live and they'll go free…you have my word-"

"Yer word's shit," I snarl.

He backs into a computer desk, "It's all I've got I don't know where they are, just that I'll rendezvous with them after leaving here…you'll just have to trust-" his hands wrap around my nerve control remote.

As I drop to the ground, he sneers. "They should have killed you first. I told them it wouldn't be safe, but No. You had to pass all the tests. You had to excel, you had to be the best. I thought htat you resisting would get you killed but the data doesn't lie. You were most suited for the experiment. And even IF you escape here today, you belong to them now. You'll either obey or they'll make you. They'll hunt you down like the animal you are-"

I hate it when the bad guys give superiority speeches.

"Animal…huh?" I growl. Reaching down for my rage and anger, I push back the pain. "I'll show you animal!" Lashing out with my claws, they slice through his calf muscle, finally getting the blood they've been craving.

Shaking free from my mind, that pesky though processor, I cave into my instincts. They want blood. Blackstone's blood, and his screams.

Nothing but claws, I rake through is blocking arm, swipe at his jugular, but miss as he falls. I'm on him in a split second with my talons poised for the kill. No hesitation, no second thoughts; I would have torn out his throat right then and there.

But Wolverine's hand clamps onto my wrist. With his other arm wrapped around my waist, he effortlessly lifts me up off of my prey. I scream in protest.

Even pumped full of adrenalin and rage, he easily pins me to the wall, that's not what you want, kid."

"What the hell do you know?" I spit back at his calm words.

"I know yer not a killer-"

"He deserves to die," I explain as rationally as I can, pushing away from the wall.

Logan slams me back, "That may be true but not by you. Yer not a killer."

"Yer so full of shit," I glare up at his hard face, "You kill people all the time!"

"And yer better than that, kid," he explains. "You kill him now, give in ta that blood lust, it'll push you across that line. Yer not goin' there, kid. Not today. Not if I have anything ta do about it."

We glare at each other through the silence.

"Lets move out," he orders, keeping a hold of one arm as he leads me away.

Looking back at Blackstone, I feel sick, thinking of him still alive. But the scared look in his eyes, the pale face and trembling hands applying pressure to his wounds, makes up for it just a little bit.

Logan drags me through the halls and up a killer flight of stairs at the top of which is a single door. Banging through that, he finally releases me so that he can climb up a sketchy looking ladder and through a trap door above.

"We're going to the roof?" I ask; air pick up maybe?

He doesn't answer, but waits impatiently as I force my trembling legs up the rungs.

We emerge into a shed. A dirt floor shed with two goats in one corner. They twitch their floppy ears at the flies and stare at us.

"What…?"

"Hurry up, kid, their getting reinforcements," Wolverine checks the door before opening it.

The hot, wet air hits my face as I follow him, flinching from the bright sun. We're in a jungle, Brazilian, most likely. We had been kept underground. For some odd reason, this really irritates me. I stand dumbly in the sunshine as he pulls a dirty green tarp of of a rusted out pickup truck. Obviously the tarp hadn't preserved it very much.

"Cougar," Logan barks, pulling my from my trance. He's already in the drivers seat, revving the engine to keep it from cutting out.

I clamber into the passenger's side as chopper blades hit my ears. "Don'g yo uhave back up?" I ask above the roar of the motor. The noise makes my head throb.

We tear out of he goat pasture and take a two track road. "Yep," Logan answers the question I'd already forgotten, "But they're in the other corners of the world lookin' for yer ass. What the hell were you thinking' walkin inta a trap like that, kid?"

I shut my eyes, the scenery flying by is making me sick. Pressing the heels of my hands against my closed lids, I feel that the red ooze from before is starting to dry.

The seat creaks as he shifts around. "Yer gonna be all right, kid," he finally says quietly. "Shit," he growls a second before slamming on the breaks.

I fly into the dashboard (see what happens when one doesn't wear his/her seat belt?).

Looking out the windshield, I see a military road block and repeat Logan's declaration.

"Keep yer head down, he barks at me, slamming it into reverse.

His driving was erratic going forward, its indescribably nauseating going backwards.

"God," I moan, wrapping my arms around myself, "Please don't do that…" Another sudden slam on the breaks and I nearly vomit. It would probably improve the smell of the heap…

"Get out 'n run," Wolverine orders, shifting back into first, "Don't stop until ya have to hide n' stay put until I come gat you."

"What?" an unexpected panic at the thought of being alone again creeps into my chest.

"Go, kid!" he roars at me.

The volume alone is enough for me to tumble out the door and dart into the surrounding trees. Hidden enough by the roads bordering brush, I keel over and puke out what's left of my guts. The sound of spitting gravel can be heard as Wolverine drives back to the mercenaries.

For a moment, I forget what I'm supposed to do.

Run, right?

My head continues to pound as I pick my bare feet through the Amazon. The farther from the road I get, the more open the forest floor becomes. I walk until the gun shots become muffled, then find the rotted out remains of a fallen tree to crawl under. There are birds and bugs and frogs screeching at each other and I press my palms to my ears in an effort to shut them out. I close my eyes against another wave of nausea.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

So…? Like? R&R please, and I'll keep posting as fast as I can.


	24. Chapter 24

**Quote:**

**Adam**: I understand what's going on. You're all on the same cycle. This is very exciting. Your uterine walls will be shedding for the next three to five days. **Shira**: Nice memorization. Did you Google that? **Adam**: I may have. Because you're women. And I think that's a beautiful thing.

**Patrice**: It's like a crime scene in my pants.

**Adam**: I also made you this. [hands a CD to Emma] To help soothe your womb. **Patrice**: It's a mix!..."Even Flow." "Red, Red Wine." **Shira**: "Sunday Bloody Sunday"? **Emma**: Adam. You made me... a period mix? **Guy**: That's so romantic! **Patrice**: Frank Sinatra, "I've Got the World on a String"! **Adam**: It's a classic…

**Chapter 24**

OK Guys, so I received a request for a third person point of view, so this is from Wolverine's then Jake's maybe later. I already have my fic written and done (not typed up yet), so this is going to take a little bit of twisting, but I think it'll work. To reduce repeats, I'm going to just have a little bit of Wolverine's POV from the last chapter. Enjoy and I'll except the flames because I don't write Cougar fics from 3rd or 2nd POV.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

He figured the girl would get herself into trouble sooner or later. He'd trained her as best he could, prepared her for any scenario that could come up, and tried to warn her about her bull headed-ness. But he knew it would happen, the kid said it herself, she had lousy luck.

The call came at three in the afternoon, at the beginning of a session in the Danger Room with a new group of freshmen. It was Jake.

She took Denver's Mini Jet, mentioned she was saving her friend Wolf from some federal government, then disappeared.

Her team was worried. His team was worried. He called up Stark and tried to track her down, but it was a dead end.

At Jake's insistence, they turned to their only lead.

With a bit of illegal info-gathering, they found the base of what was only known as The Department. They made it to the third floor.

Alarms blared, boot steps filled the hallway and dozens of guns were aimed at them.

"Yea…this was a great idea…" Wolverine muttered to a very tense Jake, "Remind me ta deny that leadership promotion for ya."

"I told you they were coming…" the younger man wearily eyed the room.

Speaking into a headset, one of the armed men reported, "Threats are secured. Requesting further orders."

"They're not threats…" the female voice came from behind the circle of guards. The men split so that a short brunette with crossed arms and one raised eyebrow joined the two captives. "They're just very…stupid." She turned to the commanding officer and waved him off, "I've got them, you guys go practice shooting things, Captain."

"Are you sure they won't be trouble?" the grizzled looking captain didn't seem offended by her superior airs.

"They're just X-Men," she answered, rolling her blue eyes. "Besides, I said they were stupid."

"All right, men," he called to the others, "Back to work."

As they melted back down the dark hallways, the woman hollered out, "Sorry for spoiling your fun."

"Wolf, I presume?" Jake turned to Wolverine, who wore a look that was anything BUT amused.

"Yup," the senior X-Man scowled.

"What the hell are you people doing here?" the feral snapped, "Don't you know what kind of place this is? Or who these people are? You're not even supposed to know what this building is used for."

"You mean its not a law firm?" Jake feigned a look of surprise.

She didn't take her stare from the real threat, Wolverine.

"Look, little girl, that glare o' yers aint gonna scare me like it does yer boys there, so put it away." Wolverine growled.

"Excuse me?" Wolf's blue eyes flashed.

"We got some questions for ya and yer gonna answer them or-"

"I think," the girl cocked her head to the side, "That you'd be better off not finishing that sentence while we're still in _my_ headquarters. I don't have to tell you crap."

Jake slipped in between the two who had unknowingly moved very close together, "OK, feral time-out."

"Time out?" Wolf snapped, "How about 'get' out. You two can be locked up in some hole in the ground prison in a country that you can't even pronounce for being here. You're lucky I called off those guards or that's exactly what would've happened-"

"Luck aint got nothing' ta do with it, darlin'," Wolverine unsheathed his claws, still glowering back, "Throw yer weight around all ya want but we both know I would've turned this whole place inta shish kabob-"

"Logan, back off!" the younger man snapped.

"You're such a d-"

"Have you heard from Cougar in the last couple of days?" Jake asked the question he knew would interrupt her insult that could very well start a brawl.

She dropped her façade, and a look of surprise, followed by worry filled her icy eyes. "Not in a few weeks. Why? What happened?" Threat of Wolverine forgotten, she completely focused on her best friends partner.

"Up 'n disappeared two nights ago. Went ta San Francisco ta rescue _you_ after she got a phone call." Logan crossed his arms and scowled.

Wolf shook her head, "I've been on assignment… I haven't even had _thumbs_ to dial a phone in the last week and a half-" again she shook here head, "OK, wait…tell me the whole story…"

She pulled some strings, sent out the word across the globe to search for her best friend…but after a month, nothing came up.

"She aint dead," Logan growled, "Xavier can feel that she's alive…but even with Cerebro, he can't pinpoint her."

"Have you tried other psychics? Frost maybe? Or her sister's ghost telepathy thing?" Amber's voice sounded exhausted through the speaker phone.

"We tried them all," Jake dug his palms into his eyes.

"I have every tech guy on staff searching databases or security cameras around the world," Wolf continued to pace the X-Man's office.

"She's immune to psychics, people don't notice her when she's sitting next to them…how the hell are we supposed to find her then?" Jake's fist slammed into the desk.

No one mentioned his reaction, or the one from the night before when he'd gotten drunk and trashed a bar…

Wolf's pacing stopped mid-step, "We need a different kind of psychic…" She turned to leave the room. "Meet me back here in two hours. I gotta get someone."

In two hours, she delivered a frazzled older looking woman in a blue business suit. Her name was Amy, and she could travel through people's dreams.

Set up in the medlab, Amy first entered the sleeping Wolf's dreams, then followed through them to Cougar's, supposedly. Logan didn't know how it worked. He didn't care. All he cared about was what the shape shifter said when she woke up.

"She's in a rain forest."

The teams were sent out. Logan and Jake took the northern part of Brazil. He'd picked up her scent in a grocery store in a town that he couldn't pronounce in a country that no one cared about. He knew the scent anywhere. When he tracked it back to an underground compound, he had to threaten Jake with breaking his legs to keep him in the hotel room. When that didn't work, he drugged him. For a man who'd known Logan his whole life, he was incredibly trusting of him.

Infiltration wasn't the goal. Wolverine went in with the intentions of killing anyone who got in his way, and after being shot hundreds of times and killing everyone who did the firing, he found a body room. Dead girls, pale, blue lipped women, and one little girl who couldn't be older than fourteen were in freezers. Cougar wasn't there though, but he could smell her blood everywhere. He knew her blood. He followed the newest scent to two goons. They died at his claws.

As he sniffed around to one lab room with her most recent scent, a noise caught his attention. In one corner of the room sat a glass tube filled with an opaque red liquid, surrounded by large, humming machines. In the center of the tube, he could see a hand pressed against the glass.

His claws sliced through the bullet proof glass like it was butter and the liquid burst out of the tube. The girl came with it. Covered in tubes, that led to needles, sunk deep in her body.

"Damnit…" he swore softly at the sight. Reaching down to her, the girl screamed wordlessly, struggling against his hands and flailing at his face.

"Cougar…Come on, kid….Cougar," he tried to keep his voice calm as he pulled the mask from her face and tried to settle her down. "Get with me, kid…"

She was hurting, but she still had strength enough to run. And later, she had strength enough to hunt. If he had been any later in finding her, she would have no doubt ripped out Blackstone's throat. He wouldn't let her, and she hated him for it. Logan knew that, but also knew it would pass. She hated him frequently, but that was their relationship. One moment they could be chatting like old friends, the next she could be fighting mad at him and he wouldn't feel guilty about a fight either. Feral ways.

He could smell the fear on her when he'd told her to get out of the truck, too; saw the panic in her feline eyes. He wasn't used to seeing that. Maybe when she was a kid, scenarios in the danger room with virtual Sabertooth's, being constrained when she was in a foul mood, but Logan didn't expect to see it at the thought of being alone. She did as she was ordered.

XXXPresent tenseXXX

He finds the girl curled up under a rotten log, feverishly mumbling in her sleep. There's the slightest rustle of dead leaves near her and before he knows it, Cougar has leapt across the space, claws bared and eyes flashing. He knows she's aiming to kill, and he's fairly sure that she isn't meaning to try to kill him. He never knows with her…

"Hey!" he barks, grabbing at her arms and giving her a sharp shake, which seems to snap her out of it immediately. More gently he asks, "Ya all right, kid?"

Cougar nods, shivering in the humidity. In a hoarse voice she asks, "Are they all dead now?"

Without answering he replies, "More or less. We gotta get you outta here." Logan looks the girl up and down before deciding that, though she doesn't look like she's very rested up, she most likely wouldn't accept help walking back to the truck.

"Oh," she tries her old friend, sarcasm, "that sounds like a good plan, boss-man…I'm so glad yer here ta make all those big decisions."

He doesn't reply, though secretly he's relived that she's sounding more like herself. By the time they reach the road, he's supporting one side of her as she struggles to keep up with sapped strength. Opening the door, he lets her crawl into the seat before slamming it shut and rushing to the other side. He doesn't know if more are coming, and he'd already wasted enough time getting her to the new hummer he'd acquired from one of the dead guys… If he knew she wouldn't have fought him with whatever ounce of strength she had left, he would have just thrown her over his shoulder and bolted for the road.

As he revs up the hummer, the girl stirs awake enough to click on her seat belt, but after that, she's out to the world until they pull up to the large, flashy hotel that he and Jake had been staying in for the last five days.

With a gasp, she jerks awake when he opens the door for her. "Easy, kid," he rumbles, steadying her with a hand on her shoulder. "We're here. Up yer powers, ya can't walk through the lobby lookin' like that."

"It's bright," she cranes her neck to look up at the top of the neon lit building.

"They'll be less likely ta track ya down here," he explains shortly. She turns to look up at him, understanding that he hadn't killed all the loose ends yet, and all he can say is, "Lets get goin'."

He opens the door for himself and she darts in behind. The glamorous woman sitting behind the counter smiles and nods seductively at him, but never notices the girl, filthy and nearly naked. Once in the elevator, he turns and pressed the button for the twelfth floor, but Cougar hesitates at the sliding doors. "Hurry up," he growls softly and she slips through only fast enough not to loose an appendage. They aren't alone in the small, metallic room, so he can't comment on her erratic shivering, or the fear she's emitting.

On their floor, he has to wait again as she stands just inside the hall, staring at her bare toes curling into the plush carpet. He almost yells at her, but he can see her eyes are watering. Carpet would be luxurious after a cage, he knows that. After a moment to collect herself, in which he politely averts his eyes as she wiped hers, she follows him to the room.

XXX K, im gonna switch to Jakes POV now…I hope you're liking this so far…XXX

Jake leaps to his feet the moment the door opens, "Hey," he points a finger at the harried X-Man, letting loose the rage that had been building over the last four hours, "If you _ever_ pull that crap again I'll-" His sentence drops dead when he notices the woman.

She's covered in dried blood, but beyond that, he can see the effects of the last two months. Her cheek bones jut out farther than ever; her hair is long, ratty and slicked back with the blood; her beautiful golden eyes are sunken and the color nearly obscured by over dilated pupils; and she visibly flinches at the sound of Logan locking the deadbolt. "Jesus…Fangs, are you OK?"

She doesn't answer him, her eyes are locked onto her mirror reflection. "Is it blood?" she asks with a dry throat. After taking their silence as an answer, so continues, "Whose is it?" Her hands being to tremble.

"Different peoples, some of it yers," Wolverine grunts. "You need ta sit down for a minute, kid."

"Is it all female?" she presses as the shaking gets worse.

"Fangs…" Jake rests his hands on both her shuddering shoulders. The weight seems to steady her slightly and they stare at each other's reflections in the mirror. He tries relax his clenched jaw when he sees her eyes look to it. He's angry, and she knows it.

"I need to shower," she suddenly blurts out, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Ya need ta rest, kid," Wolverine growls to her back right before she shuts the bathroom door on his voice.

"So much for your opinion," Jake mutters. He had left an overnight bag in the bathroom for her.

Both men, arguments and anger pushed aside, sit on each of the beds and stare at the bathroom door.

After half an hour, Jake breaks the silence, "She's been in there for awhile."

"Yea," is Logan's chosen response.

After another twenty minutes he spoke again, awkwardly, "Maybe…we should check on her…"

"Yea…" Logan grunted again. They sat for another five minutes, listening to the shower from the other side of the door. Finally he got up and knocked, "Cougar?" There was no answer so he tried again, "You alright in there, kid?" He frowned and cracked the door a little, "Ya gotta answer me, kid."

"I'm fine," her voice came back strangled and thick. A second later the water shuts off.

Closing the door, Wolverine faces Jake. Clearly he doesn't believe she's 'fine'. "I'm goin' ta check the area. Make sure she doesn't leave this room."

And with that order he was gone before Jake could even argue. Not that he was going to argue, as far as he was concerned, whether Cougar liked it or not, she wasn't leaving his sight. He bolts to his feet when she finally steps out of the bathroom. Her eyes dart around the room, questioningly.

"Logan's on food patrol," he lied. Taking her by the elbow, he leads her to a bed, "Sit down for awhile…"

Sitting, she covers up a groan with a question, "How'd you find me?"

Jake helped her pull the covers up to her chin while telling her the story. She actually laughs when he tells her that Wolf had called Wolverine stupid. That laugh eases his worry just a little bit, but she's still shivering under the blankets. Her eyes snap awake and she jerks from his hand on her forehead, but she allows him to put it back.

"I think you're running a fever, Fangs."

"'M jus' cold…" she mumbles, already falling back asleep.

"OK, Fangs," he replies softly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Watch her claws," Logan barks, trying to wrangle her wrists.

"Fangs, wake up," Jake struggles with her shoulders, keeping her flailing down as much as he could.

"Lemme go," she awakes from a violent nightmare. Neither man let go until she states, "I'm gonna throw up."

She stumbles to the bathroom and slams the door on both of them.

"We gotta move her. I don't know how long she'll be safe here."

"Logan," Jake interrupts, "She can barely get around right now. She needs to rest-"

"Don't tell me what she needs."

"She needs to go to Denver and be with her friends and family." Jake insisted.

"She needs ta go ta New York where Hank can figure out what's wrong with her." Wolverine growled.

"Nothing's wrong with her! McCoy can be in Denver before we even get there!"

"She's sick," the older man explained impatiently, "Her fever's at a hundred and three. I don't care what you 'think' she needs-"

"Logan shut up," Cougar snapped from the bathroom doorway. The effort tires her and she has to lean up against the door frame. "I'm goin back ta New York-"

"Fangs," Jake sighs, "Just because you're fighting with them doesn't mean they don't care about you."

She shook her head, "Who ever these people are, they're still out there. They said they'd find me later to finish. They're still comin'," her voice cracked. Pressing the heels of her palms into her forehead, she continues more calmly, "If they track me ta the states, New York's team can fend them off better 'n the students there are more advanced. They won't get hurt. We gotta go ta New York."

Jake, though he's irritated as hell, relents by silence.

Logan nods, "Good call, kid."

"Oh, shut up," she growls. "I aint doin' it ta please you…" Both men take note of the shiver that ran through her… "It's freezing in here."

"Fangs!" Jake darts forward and catches her just before she slammed into the gaudy carpet. "OK, you need to go back to bed now," He hauls her to the mattress. Staring at her, he tries to figure out what was wrong, what they'd done to her.

"Jake," Logan speaks up. When the younger man doesn't look up, he repeats louder, "Jake. Step outside for a minute."

After a brief glance between the two, they leave the girl, slouched on the bed.

Out in the hall, with the door closed behind them, Jake speaks before Logan can even open his mouth. "You were there. You found her. She comes back covered in blood, full of holes, she's screaming in her sleep and crying…when have you ever seen Cougar cry?"

"Don't take this is a sexist remark, bub, but she's a girl. Some times they have ta get things outta their systems."

"I know she's a girl," the younger man snapped back, "That's what I'm worried about."

"So, what? Yer gonna go back out there 'n kick ass? Play the white knight? She don't need that right now 'n you know it."

"Yea and you know that she doesn't need a drill sergeant barking orders. Whether she left the X-Men or not, she's still my partner, Logan. If you didn't want me to care about what happens to her then you shouldn't have suggested we partner up-"

Cougar jerks the door open, interrupting both of them. "I can hear you."

Jake forces his fists to unclench, "Sorry, Fangs."

"No," she shook her head, frowning, "I can hear you whispering in the halls…I can hear five different TV's going on in different rooms…and a couple doing…" she makes a face and finishes… "Doing things above us…And I can smell everything…sweat on the sheets and wet pavement and yer aftershave, even though you haven't worn it since we've been here cuz ya don't have any packed…and Logan you reek like those cigars and bullets and blood and," Her voice cracked and everyone realized that something was very different with her. "What did they do ta me?" She asked, looking wide eyed between both of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OK, sorry it took soooooo long to post, it was hard to write and I know there's a lot of tense shifts and prolly lots of mess ups, but I did my best. R&R!


	25. Chapter 25

OK guys, this was supposed to be tacked on to the last chapter, but I didn't want that one in third person (because I love to write Cougar all freaking out) so now you get TWO chapters in one day. Fun right? I expect reviews for this one too :D

**Quote:**

Wolverine: (As colossus helps him up after losing to Omega Red) I…don't…need yer help…

Colossus: (throws a half dead Logan over his shoulder) Of Course not, but you are a guest in my country…

**Chapter 25**

At some point in the night, my fever spikes. The light bulbs in the bathroom spin and dance and my head lulls to the side as I'm carried between the two men.

"She's not going to like this…"

"Then you try explainin' it ta her, she said my sentences were too purple."

"Rolling my gaze toward the older man I drawl, "Wha'sat mean?"

They put me on the floor next to the roaring waterfall and Jake's face looms close, making me gasp and fall backwards.

"OK, hand on….Fangs?…We need you to focus for a minute."

I shut my eyes tightly and moan, "I don't feel good…"

"Right…you with me Fangs?" He taps on my cheek until I force my eyes back on him. "You've got a very high fever…in fact Logan says that if it gets any higher, your brains going to shut down. Does this make sense?"

I nod. His sentences are blue…nothing like purple.

"So we have to get your fever down right away. We have to up you in the tub with cold water, we need to drop your core temp until Wolf gets here with a doctor. Understand?"

My head shakes back and for, jiggling my eyeballs around the room, "No doctors."

"It's a good doctor-"

"No it isn't!" I scream back, then clutch my head against the echos I the room.

"Ok! No doctors," he quickly corrects. "But you have to get into the tub."

I shake my head again, "Imma go ta Australia. They have good coffee there." I rest my head on Jake's shoulder. It looks so comfortable, but I know I have to get my coffee.

"OK, Fangs…we'll help you get to Australia…after we're done here, right?"

They help me up but its not until the icy water wraps around my legs that I get it…

I was never rescued; Wolverine never came for me; I wasn't in a hotel with either of them. The psychic had gotten into my head…And now they were doing another water experiment on me.

"No!" I scream at the imposters, thrashing violently. They must have known that the psychic's mental hold on me was breeching because the 'Wolverine' had a very firm hold on my wrists and was holding them away from any flesh.

"Calm down, kid," he reassured while they push me deeper into the tub.

I curse and scream, kicking when I can, but they hold me down; not under, not yet….they'll have to attach their sensors first before they try to drown the life from me.

"Fangs," the 'Jake' seems to be struggling the worst

"Don't you call me that," I snarl, "Get outta my head."

"Come on, it's just me now, Fangs…you need to settle down."

"She's havin a flash back or something," the other fake tries to convince me of being real.

"Get offa me!" I scream at his face, splashing water all over. Threatening every soft organ of their body's. I keep withering in the tub, knowing I'll get free somehow. I have to. I have to escape for good. The other girls are probably dead and Blackstone can't use them to hold me back anymore. Though he's gripping me hard enough to bruise, I twist one slippery wrist free and my claws lash out at his eyes.

Cussing, he pulls back and I burst from the tub, regardless of his hold o nmy other arm.

Slipping out of the room, I slide away from the grabbing hands and blow through the door.

The carpet in the hall doesn't feel as plush and inviting as before and I know that I'm breaking free of the psychic. In the illusion, I was underground so, taking a chance, I head to the stairway.

The men charge after me, yelling you name and keeping up with the farce.

I slodge up the stairs on all fours, ignoring the knee bangs and jammed fingers. They're only a breath behind me and I try to think of something, anything, I could do to gain ground, but the stairways are clear of anything to throw. I come around another corner of the winding stairs and my luck gives me a break (further proof that it's not real). A young couple, drunk and partying, decided that the stairway would be the _perfect_ place to have sex. Not tonight. They don't see me right away, but focus on 'Jake' barreling behind. I grab the boy by the shirt (because quicky sex rarely involves clothing coming off) and swing him around with a shove at my pursuers. The girl screams bloody murder and, if I had enough time, I would have thrown her too, just because she was hurting my ears.

As it was, I gained a few steps on the two. At the top of the stairway, I burst through the door, fully expecting to either wake up, strapped to a chair, or maybe even be free in freal life. No such luck.

It was night, but the city lights muted any stars shining down. Hot, wet air blew across the tar red rooftop, burning my eyes with the stench and whipping my wet hair and clothes around.

My bare feet slap against the black top as I run to the roof's ledge. I'm high up…Not the tallest building in the city, but several stories at least.

"Cougar!" the 'Logan' barks at me.

Looking over my shoulder, he's coming up on me slowly.

"All right, kid, lets just calm down. You can work through this…just close yer eyes 'n take a couple breaths…"

"Oh my GOD JUST SHUT UP!" I shriek at him. "I know yer not real! Stop moving!"

He freezes just as 'Jake' slams through the door. Following the other guards gaze his eyes get huge. "Whoa, Fangs, stop."

"Don't call me that," I growl, steeling myself for the step. It could either be my real escape, my awakening to a blood room, or, worst case, I could psychically die. By this point, I'm ok with any of them.

"OK…just wait a minute…" the 'Jake' held his hands up and took a small step. "We're just trying to help you OK? You need to trust us, Fangs-"

"Yer not real," I interrupt. There's a ringing in my ears.

"We gotta hurry up, Jake," the fake Logan shifts his gaze to the sky.

"OK, you're not helping," he snaps back. Returning his gaze to me he continues, "Look at us, OK? Look at me, Cougar. You know me."

I look between him and the ground, which makes me stomach clench.

"Fangs," he pulls my gaze back, "We're not gonna hurt you…but right now you're scared and confused," he keeps taking small steps with his hands up. He was so close now that I could hear his heart beat racing…Would a guards be beating that fast if it was just an illusion? "Look at me, OK? Step down, Fangs."

A small whimper forces its way from my throat.

"Calla," he uses my real name, "Step down."

In my mind, I call myself Cougar. I have for years. My real name was foreign and odd coming from anyone but my immediate family. Most of the people on my team didn't even know my real name… "I'm…just really confused…" The ringing is getting louder now, its almost starting to hurt.

"I know, Fangs," He's really close now, holding out one hand. His hazel eyes are worried looking and his shoulders are tense. Obviously trying to be soothing, his heart keeps pounding faster and faster.

Follow your instincts…right now mine are saying ledge equals bad, but not Jake equals bad. "How do I know yer real?" I whisper, barely hearing myself over the ringing noise.

The man shakes his head, "You gotta trust me."

"Jake…" Logan warns.

"I know," he cuts him off without taking his eyes from mine.

I accept the outstretched hand to help me off the ledge. Jake's body instantly drops all the tension it had a moment ago. "I'm sorry…I thought-"

"Jake!" Logan shouts, "Cover her!"

The ringing becomes a roar just as Jake throws his arms around me and his electric shield around both of us. What looks like a small missile flies through the night toward us. The cap breaks off and three pronged balls connected by wire pop out and embed themselves into the concrete roof top. There's a static 'pop' before the balls emit an electrical current that covers the entire rooftop.

Logan, and his metal laced skeleton, roar in pain and drop almost instantly. Pressed against him, I feel Jake tense, trying to counter act the charge. He loses and drops right before I loose consciousness.


	26. Chapter 26

**Review Replies:**

Wolfy: it was SO HARD to write from Jake and Wolverine's perspective…I don't like writing third person. And you get your reunion…you'll be funny:D

Adelphe: WOOT to NEW REVIEWER! OK, I'll make a personal apology for this being so long to update. Hopefully this will make you feel better. And I only have a couple chapters (might stretch it to two, I dunno) after this one and then the Cougar saga will be done. I'm going to try to write an actual book/novel, and its hard to do that AND fanfics, but I plan on maybe doing some 1-2 chapter short stories about Cougar at various times in her life if/when I get writers block on the book. Thanks for the review!

Brandibuckeye: WOOT to you too? I think you're a new reviewer. Sorry about the cliff hanger, but it WAS a good place to stop. This chapter will make up for it, it hope. Enjoy, and thanks for the reviews!

**Quote:** "I've loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." -Galileo Galileo

**Chapter 26**

Lying on the cold, cell floor, I feel my cheek stick to the metal first. Next I hear that horrible sound of the door sliding open.

There's a growl and my eyes open just as adimantium claws shoot out in front of my face. I scuttle back into Wolverine; it had been his growl, not mine.

"Easy, kid," he's crouched behind me, keeping his claws away from my skin and aimed at the guards in the doorway.

They have guns. They've never had guns before.

"Wolverine," one of them motions to him, "the Colonel's ready for you. The girl stays here."

'Screw you,' is the nice version of what I wanted to say, but these guys are armed so I stay on the floor as Logan gets up and leaves me without even a glance. I guess…I would have resented a look…he thinks I'm that weak or something? I'm left alone in the cell at any rate.

It's a different cell. There's different metal, different lights, the guards were wearing different uniforms, too. Different, but familiar. By the time my brain connects the dots, I'm proven correct by the next visitor. Jason stands in the open doorway with an arrogant smirk across his face.

"Cougar," he nods to me.

My face stays suspicious, "What am I doing with SHIELD?"

"Getting better," he replies, glancing over his shoulder.

"Where's Jake?" I feel bad that I just remember him.

"Your partner is reluctantly waiting or you outside in a rented car. We had to practically drag him out. Seems like a nice guy."

Jason's approval has never been something that I cared about. Instead I asked, "What're you doin'?"

"Rescuing you," he gives me a sideways look, "If that's OK with you. I DO owe you, after all."

"For what?" I snort, pushing to my feet. "I never broke you outta Xavier's."

"No, but you tried to reason with me. It was the only way you could help. Plus its my way of apologizing for…well…you know."

We eye each other for a moment before I nod, letting it go, as, apparently, he'd done. "So," I bring us to the present, "You gonna get in trouble for this?"

He shrugs in his familiar way, "Probably, but what will they do? Fire me? I'm one of their best field men, compliments of Magneto."

"Thank you," I give him a rare smile.

"Don't mention it. Keep in touch this time, Cougs. And stay outta trouble." He sticks his head out into the hallway.

"Why does everyone always tell me that," I grumble, "like I'm out lookin' for ways ta get inta trouble…"

"Shut up, wouldja?" he grins over his shoulder, then yells into the hall, "Who's supposed to be guarding this room?"

Feet come pounding down the metallic halls and Jason mutters to me witout moving his lips, "Follow the one I yell at." To the men, he waves his arms into the room, "She's gone!"

One guard comes in to inspect the cell, but the second is stopped at the door. "What kind of Postman are you? You'll be lucky if you're not demoted to toilet scrubber for this! Report to the Colonel, ASAP!" When the guard reached for his radio, Jason bellowed, "Not over air, face to face, she could be listening!" His bossiness surprises me, as did the apparent fear he instilled in the men. Shaking in his boots, the guard snaps off a hasty solute, then hightails it to the elevators.

Still weak, I struggle to make it through the sliding doors in time without alterting the man to my to my presence. I don't have to worry too much because obviously he's in his own world, chanting 'shit' repeatedly and shifting from one foot to the other.

He charges out the moment the elevator doors open and I follow him down a hallway to a heavy oak door. Barging through without even knocking he blurts , "Sir, the subject is on the loose!"

A man wearing an eye patch doesn't reply and Wolverine turns in his seat with a quirked brow.

"Yer guards are stupid," I say for them.

Said guard immediately jerks around, aiming his rifle into my face.

Calmly I look from the guard to Logan, then follow his gaze to the Colonel.

"Nice entrance," Nick Fury finally speaks. To the guard he orders evenly, "Dismissed, Edwards."

The embarrassed guard leaves me with a dirty look and I turn back to the men, who are standing now. How gentlemanly…

"Have a seat, Ms. Cowwatch," he motions to the extra chair beside Logan.

"Kowatch," I correct, eyeing him with suspicion and moving forward.

"Kowatch," he nods," My apologies. Ms. Kowatch from Fairview, Montana."

"Technically," I butt in, taking the chair I'd been offered, "It's _East_ Fairview, _North Dakota_. Yer guards are stupid and yer sources suck too." I expect a warning from my former teacher, but from the corner of my eye I can see a slight smirk on the X-Man's face.

The Colonel gives a small smile, too, but continues, "My sources also have you listed as deceased."

"Well, I aint," I scowl. I don't like it when people know too much about me, its dangerous.

The man lets out a gruff chuckle, "She's a gem, aint she? That attitude, she's obviously one of yours, Logan."

Sitting beside me, he shakes his head, "She came ta us with the attitude. Seems ta work for her."

"So," Fury clasps his hands together, "How are you feeling?"

I think its an odd question until it occurs to me that I'm not muddle headed. I don't feel fluish or am dizzy and the room isn't heaving. "Better. Why?"

Fury holds up a manilla folder, specked with blood and singed at the bottom. "The people that had you pumped you with a neurotoxin as a safe guard. Either they got you back or no one did. Our doctors reversed the effects. What exactly do you remember?"

"Not a lot," I shrug, but tell him meaningfully, "Why not remind me?"

"They wanted a mutant with feral tendencies," he actually explains, "One who could be trained to be invisible-you're already that. But they wanted a person to be able to pass for human and animal. Their plan was to take mutations they needed and combine them into one. Shapeshifting, enhanced senses, hyper metabolism (what you call a 'healing factor'), instincts, skill. They weeded out the other test subjects, leaving you as the last one standing." He flips though a couple pages as I sit in silence, "Your advanced healing bumped you up a notch, along with your extensive training. You would instinctively know to defend yourself, and muscle memory is something that can't be erased from a persons mind. They hit a wall when they discovered your latent psychic immunity, but by then the other subjects had been-"

"Nick," Logan interrupted with a quick shake of his head.

The men exchange a look that I can't decipher, before the Colonel continues, "They were in the process of the first integration. If it was a success, they would later add other useful powers: telekinesis, telepathy, cutaneous respiration," his eyes scanned the pages, "What ever they wanted. Wolverine interrupted the process…" He flips through some pictures, and leaves them laying on the desk long enough for me to see but not really look at. it's the glass tube with a gaping hole in the front and shattered glass all around, covered in a dull dark red that makes me sick. There's a lot of pictures of dead guards all sliced up, but they don't bother me as much as that photo.

"Was it blood?" I ask without really meaning to, "In the tube I mean?"

"Yours and the other subjects, along with chemicals and enzymes designed to be absorbed into the subjects body and integrated into her own DNA."

"Subject…" I growl at the word. Anger is better than falling apart right now. Been there, done that…now I want revenge. "What happened to Blackstone?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Blackstone's skull collided with a bullet during our clean up," Fury says this calmly, as if it were an invoice report. "His body, if ever found, will appear to have been crushed by falling rocks while out climbing the cliffs."

"And everyone above him?" His news leaves me feeling numb, but I still need to know.

"We're still attempting to find the money behind this, but anyone who had access to this experiment has met similar fates." The calmness leaves his voice and he leans across the desk, "If this method of combining mutant powers were to be duplicated, or the process leaked to private investors, we could have a very serious problem on our hands. Hostile governments would have a lot of fun designing super mutant weapons against us. That's why its very important that you refrain from telling others exactly what happened in that facility." He stares at me intently.

The look makes me uncomfortable, and I can feel the tension coming off of Wolverine, too. Its one of those, 'keep your mouth shut or you'll get a bullet in your brain' sort of stares. "But I already updated my face book status to 'Just got back from being experimented on to become some billionaire's super-mutant weapon'," I reply pertly, eyes wide with innocence.

Colonel's lips twitch at my sarcasm before he answers in the same tone, "I knew that damned Facebook would be the fall of our nation." Pulling a pen in front of him, he got back to business. "Are you still experiencing any side effects from the ordeal? Nausea? Odd sensations? Sensitivities to sounds or smells?"

I actually laugh at his attempt to get me to admit that the experiment worked. "You'll be the first ta know," I lie. I'm about to make another snide remark when I DO feel something. The hair on my arms stand up and I can hear a set of footsteps, but I can smell two people…I think…still getting the hang of that…

Logan turns to me just as the door opens behind us.

"What the hell is this?" Wolf's familiar voice cuts through the room.

"Wolf, I though you weren't going to say anything," Pete reminds, following her in, "You're the brawn, right?"

My old friend gives him an icy look which keeps her partner's mouth shut.

"Heyla," I nod to her quizzically.

"You," she snaps at Fury, "Had no right to go in there, guns blazing and do some showy extraction of something that had absolutely nothing to do with SHIELD."

Though Pete seems intimidated by her evident annoyance, Fury only clasps his hands in front of him. "One, you commandeered one of SHIELD's psychics to locate her. Two, Cougar is a mutant of the United States, which is our jurisdiction."

"Jurisdiction?" She blinks incredulously.

"you know, Colonel," Pete shakes his head, "I wouldn't recommend having a territory war with a wolf." The man who had been panicked in front of Tony Stark apparently had no worry at all about SHIELD's influence. "Especially not this one."

"Jurisdiction?" Wolf seems caught up on that word," The Department has jurisdiction over the _world_, and others for all you know. What the hell made you think you could pull _jurisdiction_ on _us_?"

I turn from her flashing eyes to the officer

"Oh," he calmly mocks surprise, "Well, I wasn't aware of _that_. My bad."

Wolf huffs at his obvious indifference but then turns to me, "Are you all right?"

The change of tone almost throws me off but I shrug, "Getting' better. I'll tell ya later about all the details that I'm not supposed ta tell ya about."

She smirks at Fury's direction, then nods, "K, I gotta go do the debriefing crap, but I should be free in a couple hours or so." She gives one more condescending look to Fury, then marches out the door. Pete follows with a smile and half a not at me.

"She's an interesting one," Logan breaks the silence that follows their departures.

I grunt back, my eyes still on the door. "Can we leave now?"

The question is directed at either of them, but Fury's the one that answers, "Of course you're free to go. But it really is necessary for you to notify us of any problems you have. We wouldn't want you to go on an insane killing spree. Those are just too messy."

I can't tell if he's joking or not, but Wolverine gets up to shake his hand. "Good seein' ya, Nick. Call ahead next time."

The Colonel hands him a folder, "Her medical report, for Dr. McCoy. The poker game's at seven."

No one gives me my own file…Logan just tucks it under his arm and motions me out the door. "Come on, kid, I'm sure Jake's goin' nuts waitin' on the sidelines."

We step out of the brick building and into the smoggy air of New York City. Jake checks me over, then asks a dozen questions while sliding over and letting Logan drive. I get into the back seat, trying to ignore the overwhelming smell of leather upholstery as we head to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

K, a couple more. Hope this explained it all. R&R Please!


	27. Chapter 27

Review Replies:

Dipsy: Yea, I didn't much care for the 3rd person POV. She only spent maybe a day at SHEILD. Just long enough for them to fix her. I didn't realize that ppl were walking on egg shells with her, but maybe? Basilisk? I don't know what that means. Oh, and congrats on the new puppy.

Kilowatt: Here's some more! Woot to the new reviewer! Thanks!

Adelphe: Another WOOT to a new reviewer! I'm glad you like it…er…I mean LOVE IT!

Wolfy: I have a hard time writing you. And she was locked up because she was with Wolverine and he's dangerous. And she was wacked out, so she was too. SHIELD just popped into my head. It worked out…I just kinda wanted a dramatic helicopter scene and Wolverine to get electrocuted.

BrandiBuckeye: LOL, this IS the SECOND sequel…Yea, one more, I think, after this one, then she's done. I'm going to try to write an actual book (its a lot harder because I don't' have the well known back characters like the X-Men). When I have writers block on that, though, I'll maybe post a couple of short stories about her, since she has such an awesome fan base :D

Thanks everyone, for your patience. I'm trying to get things out :D

Quote: "Women are like teabags: you never know how strong they are until they're in hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt

Chapter 27

At Xavier's school, I get a complete examination by Beast. He has to conduct the procedures in my guest room because I refuse to go into the lab. I stay holed up in the room for three days because going out into the general population overwhelms my senses so much that I keep getting migraines.

"Come on, kid, lets go," Wolverine continues to knock on my door. It sounds very loud.

"Go away…" I groan, pulling the pillow around my head. it's a new pillow because the guest pillows smell like people's hair and morning breath.

There's a clicking, metal scraping noise before he opens my now unlocked door. "Get movin', yer due in the danger room five minutes ago."

"I don't wanna train," I continue to whine. He and Jake have been tag-teaming, trying to get me out of my room. Their newest ploy is to simply tell me to be somewhere. They're always so surprised when I don't show up.

"Yer not gonna learn how ta control this if ya just sit around 'n become a hermit," he persists.

"I wont _have ta _control it if I'm a hermit," I contradict, ignoring his figure looming over my bed.

"Make yer choice, but yer gonna be down there in five minutes, one way or the other."

I poke my head out from the comforter and eye him. From his stance, arms crossed, feet planted shoulder width apart; I have no doubt he's ready to grab me, blankets and all, and haul me down there. I debate on whether or not its worth fighting over. I'm not wearing any pants, just a large X-Men t-shirt and a pair of boxers. Apparently I ponder too long. Dropping his arms, Logan takes a step toward me

"OK," I dart back under the covers, scurrying away from his grabbing hands. "OK, lemme get dressed." Falling off the other side of the bed with a 'umph', I fling my hair out of my face and try to regain my dignity.

"Ya got three minutes," he scowls at me before turning for the door.

"You said five," I argue just to argue.

"Down ta two, now," he corrects, walking out.

Growling at his old 'do what teacher says' attitude, I get up and rummage through the suitcase Jake had grabbed for me. The uniform in it still had the X emblem on it, and it fits looser than normal, but it'll have to do.

The halls are empty as I pad down to the Danger Room. My session is booked at four in the morning so I don't have to deal with any one else, supposedly. On the other hand, Logan had been the one to reserve the room…only a psycho gets up at four in the morning.

A psycho and his accomplice; Jake is waiting on the floor. I get a vague sense of nostalgia as I pass through the huge sliding door. The first time I set foot in the room, it had almost cut me in half…

"We're gonna work on yer hearing first," Wolverine informs me, nodding to the other man.

Stepping forward with a blind fold, Jake has the smallest smile on his face, "Nothing kinky, k Fangs?"

I roll my eyes and try not to move away as he ties it in place. "K, now what?"

"Now quit runnin' yer mouth and just listen," I'm ordered gruffly.

Pressing my lips together to hold back my annoyance, I concentrate. Very light foot steps as Jake moves away. His breathing gets calmer, but I can't hear-

Something heavy and metal -laced slams into my left shoulder, propelling me back a step.

"Pay attention," Wolverine barks, suddenly in front of me.

"Hey," I growl, reaching for the blindfold, "I aint here ta be a punchin' bag."

He smacks my hand away, on my right side now.

I don't want to be here in the first place. I don't even want to be in New York anymore but I have to force back down my anger at it all. I can't teach myself…I can't even take care of myself right now…

He shoves me from the back, "Focus on right now."

We'd done this exercise before. I wasn't very good at it with regular hearing. Jake circles us. His steps are almost loud now that I'm concentrating…his breathing's calm and if I try, I can hear his heart beat-

A flat handed blow square to my chest sits me down hard on the floor.

"Come on, kid, you've done better than this before."

"He's distracting," I play the blame game, "I can't hear you over him."

"That's why he's here. Ya think the enemy's gonna quiet everyone down while he stabs ya in the back in the dark?"

His next blow lands but I deflect enough of the impact that it doesn't hurt. "I can see in the dark," I contradict, "So this exercise is unrealistic."

"We can get some mace if ya want realism."

"Logan," Jake frowns through his voice.

"I really do hate you, ya know that?" I get hit again.

"Focus," is his only reply.

I get smacked around a little more before Logan gets it through his thick skull that I'm not ready for this level. He pits Jake against me next. Though he was quiet, Jake was not as stealthy as Logan. Eventually we end up in a face to face sparring match. I'm sweating profusely and panting. I had tried to stay in shape while imprisoned but my stamina and endurance suffered noticeably.

"Are we done yet?" I groan, blocking a fist that was aimed for my head.

"Ya wanna be done, kid?" Wolverine asks, "Finish the fight."

I can barely keep up as it is. The entire time I've stayed on the defense. There is no way I'll ever actually win the match. Unless…An unpleasant idea comes to me.

I smell Jake move in closer (he's not sweating NEARLY as much as I am). I hear the material of his shirt rustle as he pulls his arm back. With all of my will power, I keep my hands down even as the sound of his fist, zipping through the air, comes closer to my face. The punch knocks me to the ground. See the unpleasantness?

"Oh, shit. Fang's you all right?"

I hear him now drop down beside me.

"Jake," Logan tries to warn. He'd fallen for it once, too.

His fingertips barely brush across my skin, aiming to remove the blindfold. I grab his wrist with one hand, use his unbalanced state to throw him back to the ground and have the claws of my free hand at his throat in a single movement. Aint I a stinker?

"Matte!" Logan uses the Japanese word for 'stop' that we'd trained with, then he sighs.

Letting go of his wrist, I yank the blindfold from my eyes and stare into his angry ones.

"I thought you were hurt," he frowns up at me.

"Hurts like hell," I sit down all the way and rub the whole half of my face that's throbbing. There's blood in my mouth, too.

"You," he sits up to look at me incredulously, "are a truly evil woman, you know that?"

I raise my eyebrow at his statement before turning to Wolverine, "I finished it."

His large arms are crossed as he scowls down at me, "You played dirty, kid."

"_You_," I contradict, rolling to my feet, "Did not specify the terms of 'finishing it'. I'm done."

"Cougar," he calls to my back, "Yer not gonna get over this if ya don't work through it."

My head is throbbing from too much activity, and it feels like heat is radiating off of my body as I punch in the code to open the door. I get it wrong twice, frustrating me. I can't remember it anymore. I try again, with shaking fingers and the horrible feeling that the door isn't going to open. I'm locked in. My heartbeat thumps with my head, amazing that its going at all considering my chest keeps tightening up.

"Cougar," Wolverine barks.

I can't breathe and I'm locked in-

"Cougar,"

-fingers wrap around my arm.

"Let go Let _GO_!" I scream, trying to pull away. Spinning around, my back hit's the door as I try to get away from everyone. "Stop it," I scream again, sliding to the floor. I can't breathe and my whole body is shaking as I hug my knees to my chest.

"OK, hey, Fangs," Jake suddenly presses my shaking hands between his, "Look at me…OK? It's all right."

I open my eyes to his. He's crouched down in front of me and I focus on his breathing, matching mine with his. Logan's walking away from us, raking his hand through his hair. Its my fifth panic attack in two days.

"The door won't open," I explain quietly.

"Yea, I'll fix it," Jake nods to me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour is spent in the shower. I blow dry my hair on low, trying to keep from further damaging it. I hate having wet hair now. It creeps me out.

At noon, I sneak out of my room, knowing a majority of the school will be in the cafeteria. I wander around a little. It's the same school I went to for five years, but its new to me now; its all smell and sound. I stop a distance from Logan's office. Jake's in there, talking with him and someone on speaker phone.

"The nights are a big problem," Logan states.

"And she won't take anything for it, I bet?" It's Amber's voice.

"Hard to tell," Jake answers, "The pills in the bottle are going down, but I think its just for show. She doesn't want to sleep."

"Why not?" my old team leader sighs the question.

Logan takes this one, "When ya have nightmares like the ones she's having, ya don't wanna take something that'll keep ya from wakin' up."

She swears softly at this. "So overall…"

Both men hesitate before Jake admits, "She has good days and bad days."

"Is today one of the good ones?" She sounds hopeful.

"…Not so much," he sighs, too.

"Maybe tomorrow will be better," there's reluctance in her voice.

"You know my advice," Logan grunts.

"Yea…I guess just handle her as best as you can…"

Silently, I turn around and head outside. I hate that word, 'handle'. Joseph used it because he knew it got under my skin. Amber used it when she was under the influence of Frank. Cyclops and the Professor even used it a couple of times while referring to me. Walking barefoot through the grass, each footstep brings up earthy smells. Its summer now. I missed most of the Spring. Growing up in the long winters of North Dakota, spring was anticipated, almost as much as Christmas time. I'm angry, enraged, really, that I've missed it. My hands start shaking.

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm running. My feet slap on the smooth pavement of Grayfalcon lane. I run down the road that I've run hundreds of times.

At the one mile mark, I'm gasping, wheezing and stumbling, but I'm not stopping. At the mile and a half point, I get my second wind, but it only lasts till mile two. That's where Wolverine's jeep pulls up beside me.

"What the hell are you doin', kid?" he yells, pulling over.

I keep going.

"Ya need ta stop," he easily catches up to me and keeps my erratic pace.

"Useta…run this…without…losin' my…breath…" I gasp, blinking the sweat from my eyes and continuing.

"Yer not that strong right now." He tries to reason with me, "Ya need ta pace yerself. Stop for a minute."

I keep running, or attempting to run.

"Damnit, Cougar," he grabs my arms from behind, jerking me backwards, "Yer gonna hurt yerself, kid."

Wrenching forward, I snarl back with whatever strength I have left, "Let. Me. GO."

"Yer gonna hurt yerself," he repeats, holding me back.

I rage, screaming and kicking at clawing at him as much as I can before finally dropping to the ground in a miserable heap. After my own ragged breathing subsides, I hear that Logan's bee talking to me in a calming voice; nonsense reassurances that I know he doesn't mean.

"I useta run it easy…" I say, "I useta sleep at night and I could make sense of things and I wasn't _like_ this.

"What?" he cautiously lets me go, as if I even _could_ run again.

"I think I'm fallin' apart."

He sighs, heavily, then gets up, hoisting me to my feet, "Lets go get a bite ta eat, kid."

"I aint hungry," I sulk.

"Quit arguing and get in the car, girl," he orders darkly.

With a growl, I obey. Fighting wouldn't get me anywhere except in the car anyway.

When he joins me, I'm examining the red marks on my arms from his fingers. In an hour they'll be bruises, by tonight, they'll be gone.

"I didn't have the time ta talk ya down like Jake. Or the patience."

Wow. Was that the crappiest apology ever, or what?

Staring out the windshield, I reply tightly, "Yea. Jake's real good at 'handling' me, huh?"

"Quit eaves droppin' on half a conversation," he growls back. Again with the wonderful apology.

"Did you tell Amber ta partner us up?" Maybe I was delirious with fever and mentally unstable, but I still remember their little tiff in the hallway.

Not one to beat around the bush, he admits, "I made the suggestion, yea."

"Because he'd keep me in check," I finish for him. "Because Jake could keep me in control and make sure the leash is tight without me knowin' it."

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Logan turns to look at me like I'm crazy. Or stupid. Maybe both. "The reason I picked him was because he wouldn't try ta put ya in check, but he's not gonna put up with yer bullshit either. He knows how ta keep ya from getting hurt, help when ya need it and back off when ya need that.

"Really." my tone is skeptical. "Amber said-"

"_I _said ta quit eaves droppin," he scowls at me. "Face it, kid, yer a wild one and like it or not, _someone_ had ta deal with you. Jake got the short straw."

This throws me back, but then annoys me, "I'm not that bad."

We pull into the diner parking lot and he looks at me like I'm an idiot again, "Who the hell're you tryin' ta convince kid? Keep in mind that _I_ was stuck with that straw first."

I open my mouth and close it, but before something comes to my mind, he leaves the vehicle. We're at the diner that he'd taken me to the first time that I ran away from Xavier's. Actually, he usually took me that when I ran away, which, I'll admit, I did end up doing quite frequently. They did have good food.

"I can't go in there," I point out, only taking one step out of the jeep, "I'm barefoot."

"Do you ever think it through before ya run?" he asks, frowning at my bare, blackened feet.

"No," I answer truthfully, "Not for the most part."

He sighs but takes my honesty as a sign not to lecture. Instead, he motions me back into the jeep and we head towards some backroads.

We pass the spot where I'd rolled his jeep before with Creed chasing us. It was the first accident I'd ever been in, excluding me hitting a deer once back home.

"You think he coulda brain washed me?"

"What?" The significance of the spot is lost on him.

"Creed," I point behind us now, "Do you think he coulda brainwashed me inta bein' his apprentice, like he wanted to?"

"Back then, he mighta been able ta pull it off, but after awhile, you'd probably get away."

"Maybe." I shrug, "He'd probably just kill me. Oh, wait, he already did…"

"He's quiet for a minute before tellingm e, "You got a decision ta make, kid."

"What?" I look at him suspiciously.

Glancing over, he shakes his head, "We aint backing' ya into a corner. There's a couple options or you can make yer own, but its still gonna be yer decision."

I look down at my hands. The lines on my palms are broken up by old scars, and those by new scabs from last night. I have to start sleeping with my gloves on again. "I tried taking them."

"What?" Logan asks, looking between me and the road.

I realize I'd been thinking but not speaking.

My brain's been doing that lately. Beast said it was from my traumatic experience; that it'd go away after awhile. "The pills," I explain, still studying my palms, "At night. I did try takin' them a couple of times…but…"

"Don't worry about it, kid."

"Logan, I don't think I can make any real decisions right now."

We pull into the back of the school and he drives us down into the huge parking garage. "Ya don't have ta decide now, just listen for a bit." He kills the engine and the silence is harsh. "Amber's up in yer room now."

His statement is more of a suggestion, and I realize that I can't avoid her forever. I need to get over it.

"Yea," I nod, staring out the window, "Thanks…for everything"

"Don't worry about it, kid," he answers gruffly.

Its an awkward moment, but its still sincere.

Taking a deep breath, I leave the jeep and march toward my room.


	28. Chapter 28

**Review Replies:**

Proud to be an X-Nerd: Haha, I love writing Cougar/Logan scenes, its like I can be bipolar on the page :D One scene he's all reassuring, a teacher, a jerk, completely out of patience with her, and she can be looking for guidance, needing his help, hating his guts or snarling in his face. Its great fun… As for writing her all vulnerable, I think it started out with me wanting to make sure she didn't get all Mary-Sue like. In the first fic she was way to unsure of herself, and in the second, she got herself gutted and killed by Sabertooth, so in this one, I needed to keep her grounded J Sadly, though, this is her last chapter. Like I'll say at the end, I may write a few short blurbs here or there about her (I actually have one scratching away in my head right now) but im going to try to work on an actual book. We'll see how it goes…if I post seven or eight stories back to back, it means I have bad writers block and its not going good. Thanks for all of you reviews and support through out the years (and, yes, I checked, it has been years). I think we're getting old :D

BrandiBuckeye: Sorry, last chapter, but Im pretty sure it does wrap it all up. Though there's actually no X-Men in this chapter (sorry) it still gets the job done. Thanks for all of your reviews and support, I really do appreciate it. Enjoy, and keep an eye out for short cougar fics here and there.

Adelphe: Haha, well, here's the worst part of the story: the end. Sorry, but I do appreciate you being a fan and all. Thanks and look out for a couple short's here and there with Cougar in them.

Wolf: I know, you meant to review that last one…maybe I should let you know when I update…CHECK YOUR EMAIL! And sorry you couldn't come home for thanksgiving. See you next time though?

Everyone Else: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Even one little review makes my day, heck, even flames are something, so please read, enjoy or hate, and review.

**Quote:** Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. -Charles M Schulz

**Chapter 28**

Outside of my room, I stare at the closed door and stop myself from knocking. I only smell Amber, no Joseph. Amber and her baby. She turns her green eyes to me as I open the door. The baby's sleeping on one of those carseat/carrier things.

"Hey, Cougs," she says quietly without getting up. "How're you feeling?"

"I've been better," I answer awkwardly, avoiding eye contact.

"I named her Faith," she followed my gaze to the pink blankets covering her sleeping daughter. "Faith Xavia. So far, we haven't noticed any obvious mutations, but she's only three months old."

"Congratulations," again with the awkward, "She's cute," I try to make up for it with more awkwardness.

"You wanna hold her?" she reaches for the girl.

"No," I take a step back, "No…me and babies aren't…compatible."

"Cougar," she rolls her eyes, scooping up the infant and shoving her into my arms, "I've seen you stare down people like Omega Red and Mr. Sinister. I'm not going to let you be afraid to hold a baby."

"I'm not afraid of holding her," I object as Faith's eyes flutter open. "I'm afraid of dropping her." She squirms for a moment before deciding that I'm comfortable enough and falls back asleep on my shoulder. I remain tense, fully expecting the 'I want my mama' bawl at any moment.

"Rock her a bit, she's not going to bite."

"If I drop her, its completely not my fault," I warn while rhythmically shifting my feet and turning my torso. After all she does is smile and roll her eyes, I bring up the question that I knew she wasn't going to like, "Does Frank know about her?" Some states were known to grant custody of children to the non-mutant parent, regardless of what kind of slime ball they may be. Colorado was on the fence, last that I'd heard.

"No," she frowns, examining my throw rug, "And I'm hoping that he never finds out. He's in prison now, but I kept a low profile after I started to show, just incase he was smarter than we thought and had some of his pals snoop around. We have enough kids in our school, some are pretty young, plus plenty of wild teenagers, so that if any one did see her, they couldn't prove that she was mine and Frank's." She sighs, "God, I still can't believe what he did…and we helped him? And _I_ defended him?" Her head shakes at that, "I am really sorry, Cougar. I should have trusted you completely-"

"You were under Frank's control," I correct, realizing that I mean what I'm saying. "And I'm not always the easiest to be around, so…" shrugging, we leave it at that. "So I'm told that I have options?"

"Suggestions," she corrects, putting on her business face. "We, meaning the Denver and New York teams, have some suggestions as to what you might want to do." Clearly, she's trying her hardest to word it in a non-threatening way. "The first, of course, is to come home to our team. You're welcome at any time, obviously, but we do miss you, Cougs, both as a team member and as a friend." After all I do is nod a little she continues, "The second is to join any of the other teams you may want to join. New York is an option too; though the way that you and Wolverine are constantly growling at each other, I wouldn't recommend that for everyone's safety. Third, you don't join any team and go back to being Ghost Cat. Personally, I don't like that one because you almost got dead and scared the hell out of all of us…" She sighs, realizing that she'd put her feelings out there while she was clearly trying to be professional. "Jake said you probably wouldn't like any of those, though. You like your freedom but you also like your team."

I don't respond to this. Jake's right, I do missing having the team effort, the family atmosphere. But a part of me, a small part, mind you, worries that I can't function with a team. I cause too much friction, my preferences are to follow my gut, not obey orders. I enjoyed being my own person, following the leads I wanted, never having to check with a superior or report back. Amber's next words pull me out of my swirling thoughts.

"So we've created a fourth option. You come back to Denver, be a teacher, be a part of the team, but you have full freedom to do your Ghost Cat things whenever and however you want. The only stipulation on this option is that when you're with the team, you are one hundred percent with the team. No leaving in the middle of a mission, jumping in only when it gets interesting, or ducking out of the reports. You follow orders and we all have each other's backs. If you're opted out of a mission, and we need backup, we will not hesitate to call on you and the same goes for Ghost Cat. Jake's volunteered to be your primary backup, but we want you to inform the team if you're taking him for an extended time. So," she nods, pleased with herself, "That's what we've got."

Wordlessly, I hand back the baby then sit on the edge of the bed.

"You smell like her," I finally say, nodding at Faith, "Or, she smells like you. There's a jumble of people on that blanket, and milk and diapers. I had a panic attack in the Danger Room because the door wouldn't open," I continue, trying ot make her understand that I'm a complete mess without straight out telling her that the mere thought of going on a mission worried me silly. I could freeze up, or get overwhelmed by smells. "The noises are too loud too," I say outloud without meaning to. Oh, and there's that disconnection in my brain. My new fear of water could be another problem, or how I completely flip out if I can't move or…

"Cougar," she snaps me out of my rising panic. Her green eyes stare steadily at me, "You make your choice whenever you're ready."

She left me shortly after that and I stayed sitting for twenty seven minutes before the loud knock on the door jarred me into attention.

"You in here, Fangs?"

"Uh huh," I dig my palms into my eyes. I'm tired and leave my one hand covering my face. It smells like baby. Which is why I don't smell the squiggling bundle that plops next to me on the bed.

"Got a present for you."

I stare at it. "A puppy?" The small mottled brown mutt blinks its blue puppy eyes at me then clumsily whips its tail around in excitement.

"No, a parrot," Jake sits on the other side of it. "Yes, a puppy, your puppy. She's your dog, Fangs." The corners of his eyes crinkle, the first real smile since they'd found me.

Holding my hand out to the puppy, I let her first sniff, then lick at my fingers, "Xavier's has a no pets rule." A rule, I don't admit, that I was constantly breaking while I was living under this roof.

She just happens to be from the city pound. Interestingly enough, Ms. Frost makes a large monthly donation to the local Humane Society, which is very active in rescuing dogs from the pounds. This large contribution is never supposed to be known by anyone outside of this room, by the way."

"Are you blackmailing Frost's reputation as a cold hearted woman for me?" I ask, tying not to fall in love with the furball.

"Yes," he answers with a shrug.

"Jake…" gently scratching along the puppy's back it wiggles my claws into the right spots. "I can't even take care of myself right now. I can't have a dog."

"She's scheduled to be put to sleep today. Just another mutt, dropped off in the streets. No one wanted her…"

"You're evil," I shake my head.

"Pets can be very therapeutic," he continues.

"Drop it, we both know I'm keeping her," I roll my eyes at his wide grin, watching him enjoy my defeat.

He has hazel eyes. Eyes the same as Trinity's. They sweep over my face, then lose their smile, "You OK Fangs?"

"The youngest was thirteen. We were all cats," I explain quietly. "The youngest was Trinity. I told her…all of them, that I'd get us out. That it'd be OK. We're the good guys. Why would I leave the good guys? They're supposed to win, right?" I stare at him, begging for him to lie to me.

"It doesn't always play out like that, Fangs," he stares at me sadly.

Expelling a shaky breath, I blink quickly and look down at the puppy. Her interest faded from my fingers and now she's sprawled between us, fighting to keep here eyes open. Her tail lashes back and forth for a moment as I pat her. "I don't know what ta do," I admit. "I've changed. I'm different. Being Ghost Cat made me different from being Cougar of the X-Men," Jake listens as I try to explain myself. "I punished people for what they did. I went head first into things that I knew were too dangerous. But I don't know if I want to do that anymore. I don't know if I like it anymore." Again, I shake my head to organize my thoughts. "How the hell am I supposed ta go back ta bein' an X-Men now?" I scowl at the floor, "Closed doors make me hysterical. The medlab makes me throw up. Bathtubs scare me, even…I can't focus, or concentrate, or sleep or breathe-"

"Calla," he pulls me back to his eyes and when he sees that I've calmed down he explains, "You've been hurt. Whether you want to admit it or not, they hurt you, and it'll take time to heal from that. Maybe that's why you wanted to come back here," he suggests. "This is where you came to heal after what Blackstone did to you, and after how Magneto tried to poison you with his views. This is where you got strong and learned to be Cougar. Going home heals all of us Fangs. So you got lost out there in the big world. Stay here, your home, and remember yourself. Stay and get stronger."

I press my lips together for a second before asking quietly, "You gonna stay with me?"

He gives my hand above the puppy a squeeze, then shakes his head, "For awhile, but _you_ need to do this, Fangs. I'll be in Denver-_our team_ will be in Denver-when you're ready.

I nod with a slight smile, feeling a little bit better already. "So what's her name?" I nod to the pup, whose leg is twitching with a dream.

"Pickles," Jake answers with a grin.

My smile drops, "What? What kinda name is Pickles?"

"It's a puppy name, Fangs. Its cute."

"No," I shake my head, "I am NOT having a dog named Pickles."

"Well, she's already named," he shrugs, enjoying my annoyance.

"Well, she's getting her name changed."

"OK, well, lets name her."

"Uh-uh," I shake my head at him, "You can't even come up with a code name for yourself. I'm not trusting you with my dog."

"What about Lassie?" he suggests, not listening to me, "Or Mary-Sue?"

"No-"

Or Dawg, you know, all slangy? Or Fido, retro-like."

"Oh my God, shut up!" I laugh, dragging him to his feet. "Go get some Chinese take out. I'll name her while yer gone."

"Chinese sounds awesome-" he snaps his fingers, "Awesome, that's the perfect name!"

"Go!" I shove him out the door. The puppy, awoken by our laughter, leaps off the bed and runs after me. Closing the door, I look down at her expectant face. "Pickles…" I mutter and shake my head.

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I stayed in New York for four months. I trained with Wolverine, mastering my new powers, learning how to push away scents and sounds that I didn't need and focusing on what I as after. It took extensive training to get me back into shape. My physical strength took less time to regain than my psychological well being. I caved and let Frost counsel me, even letting her into my mind, just a little, to pull some mental photos of each of the girls from my memories. She thought it would help me heal if we could track down their families and friends, let them know that they'd been killed. That actually left me more angry than at peace, seeing some shrug off their tortures and deaths. But Logan reminded me that at least I was angry, it was a feeling other than panic or sadness.

I returned to the Denver school in time to see some of our first students graduate, Maria included. She didn't let on, but I knew she was glad that I was there to hear her announce that she would be going to New York and training as an X-Man, hopefully returning to Denver. I could tell that that made Joseph a little nervous, so she had my vote.

I took up the fourth option, if you hadn't guessed it. I was part-time teacher, part-time solo super hero and full time X-Man, because, even going without the team, I stuck truer to their beliefs than before. Publicly, though, I retired my Ghost Cat name. That superhero was always alone, always watching her own back. Jake went out with me every time, and I decided to just let him go (but only after he swore to me that he was going to _help_ me, not _protect_ me). Beside's, we work good together as partners.

This time around, I kept in touch with Jason, going out for drinks whenever he was in the area (though I always ended up being the designated driver since he and Jake enjoyed getting tanked together). On our first meeting since Logan and I were released from SHIELD, he informed me that either my memory was screwy, or there was another survivor. The bodies of the girls, drained of blood, had been recovered from a freezer. Eleven bodies. Trinity's was among them, but Sara's was missing. Because our powers were nearly identical, SHIELD stipulated that the experiment was carried out twice, on me and her as there'd be a better chance that at least one of us would survive. I wasn't supposed to know this, so Jason made sure to drink quite a bit before 'letting it slip'.

SHIELD hadn't been able to locate her yet, but I sent out an all points bulletin to every X-team and ally in the world to notify me of any sightings. Wolf's department was informed too, and she assured me that if anyone could find Sara, they could. A lot of my blood had been taken, too, so it was possible that she was given my 'unnoticeable' power. I'd just have to wait and see.

So that's the story, why I left the X-Men. I guess, I technically rejoined, but that's all part of the story. I hope you enjoyed and weren't too disappointed or bored.

Oh, yea, I named the puppy Dakota, incase you were wondering.

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OK, thanks, everyone, I enjoyed writing, and I really appreciate your reviews and patience in me as I took forever to finish this. Happy holidays, everyone! Keep reading and writing, and maybe I'll put out a couple short stories here and there about Cougar's adventures. THANKS! -Cougar9


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